


Yugi, Harry and the Philosopher's Stone

by JoeyTaylor, Robin_P



Series: Clanverse [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, First ever fic, Gen, Ombre, clanverse, kari ironhide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 05:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 45,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16257506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoeyTaylor/pseuds/JoeyTaylor, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robin_P/pseuds/Robin_P
Summary: Just a normal school and a normal year, is that too much to ask for? Apparently yes.





	1. The Letters

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the very first story I ever wrote for the Clanverse series. I started this series when I was 16 and I feel this series has massively improved as I've grown up and started writing more. Please forgive me for the way it's written, the series does get better but after fanfiction.net crashed so hard I thought I'd lost my profile and all the stories on it, I needed to move the series over here.

"JOSEPH WHEELER!" Kari Ironhide stormed, as she met up with her friends on Saturday morning, by the fountain in the centre of town, having taken the weekend off work. "IF YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY, THEN SO HELP ME I'LL…I'LL…"

"Wasn't me!" Joey said, backing away quickly, bumping into Yugi, "If it's one of those letters, I got one too." He waved an envelope in her face and she growled and pulled out hers and she, Joey and Yugi compared envelopes.

**Miss K. Ironhide**

**Living Room**

**Number 9**

**Fountain Road**

**Domino**

**Japan**

**-**

**Mr Y. Muto**

**Bedroom By The Stairs**

**Kame Game Shop**

**Domino**

**Japan**

**-**

**Mr J Wheeler**

**The Only Useable Bedroom**

**Flat 8B**

**Herder Street**

**Domino**

**Japan**

"We have stalkers," Ombre said, highly amused, scaring the living daylights out of Joey as she appeared in her spirit form beside her hikari.

"Warn me before you do that!" He growled, then jumped another ten feet into the air as Yami appeared beside Yugi. "And you!"

"You've never seen me before!" Yami exclaimed as Joey calmed down.

"I have, but not all the time, only on and off since my duel with Marik." Joey replied thoughtfully, before he was slammed into by one of the people he hated most, "Damn it Rich-boy! Watch were your going!"

"If you think this is funny, you mutt, then so help me I'll…" He trailed off as he saw Ombre and Yami laughing their heads off, "What's so funny? No wait, you two don't exist, thank you very much!" He waved an envelope at Joey who grimaced.

**Mr S. Kaiba**

**Second Largest Bedroom**

**Kaiba Mansion**

**Domino**

**Japan**

"I've already told Yugi and Kari, I didn't do it!" Yami and Ombre had stopped laughing, Kaiba could see them, not that he would admit it. They'd been laughing because Kari and Kaiba's threats had been almost identical, but it made it interesting, Kaiba obviously had to be tired or he would not have admitted their presence even if he could see them.

"Joey, is this supposed to be a joke?" Someone behind them asked. Yugi turned around, it was Ryou Bakura.

**Mr R Bakura**

**The Only Bedroom**

**Flat 2**

**East Street**

**Domino**

**Japan**

"Ok, for the last time, IT WASN'T ME!" Joey yelled, "Why, if I wanted to annoy rich-boy over there, would I send myself, Yugi, Kari and you letters? I swear I didn't send them." The clock struck twelve and Kaiba suddenly stared at Joey.

"You do realise that last sentence was perfect English, though your accent is appalling." Kaiba said.

"Like yours is much better." Kari murmured under her breath, setting Yami and Ombre off again.

"You do realise that though those two laughing loons don't exist I can actually see them and I know what ever you said just set them off again." Kari blanched. "And day off or no day off, you still work for me."

Kari scowled and as she turned to Yugi, she blew a raspberry at Kaiba. That was it, the two yamis were off, demonstrating the 'rofl' that Kari was so fond of on msn. Kari and Yugi shook their heads while Kaiba just scowled, "We still don't know who sent us the letters. This Professor Dumbledore said to meet him here now, so where is he?"

"One thing before he arrives," Joey said, "Who's actually heard of this 'Hogwarts' place?" Surprisingly both Yugi and Ryou put their hands up as Yami and Ombre got to their feet, calming down.

"I lived in England, my name was down but my parents moved here before I started so…" Ryou informed them.

"Apparently Grandpa went there but was expelled for paying more attention to his games then his lessons." Yugi said, thinking. "He only told me when he saw my letter."

"I'm guessing it's like a senior school, but if we've only just been given our letters we're too old." Kari said, thinking, she'd never had any signs of magic until Rai had died, so she probably hadn't been down.

"Which is why I've come to collect you personally."

They turned around and saw a tall robed figure, but with no hood, but a tall pointed hat on. "Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts." He smiled at them and received a couple of smiles back. Kaiba was still scowling and Joey was being protective of the two smaller teens. "Your magic has only just been revealed to the wizarding world, there's no space in the Japanese wizardry schools, so you've been given a transfer to Hogwarts in England. Your letters had translating spells on them, so you can all speak English. The only ones we were sure didn't need them were Miss Ironhide and Mr Bakura."

"I can sense magic from this man," Yami said, Ombre stood behind her hikari with her hands on her shoulders. "Be careful Yugi." Yugi barely nodded, enough for Yami to see it but no-one else.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir," Ryou said, "Why would you send invites to us, when we're all too old for Hogwarts, and one of us," He rolled his eyes at Kaiba, "Doesn't believe in this at all."

"Mr Bakura, right?" Ryou nodded, "Your name was down but we lost track of you when your family moved to Japan. And this isn't compulsory, if he doesn't believe in all of this, while I'd rather you all came so we can teach you to control your magic, we can wipe his memory and seal his magic."

"That wouldn't necessarily work," That was Ombre, speaking directly to her hikari, "Whatever other magic Kaiba has he also has Shadow Magic." Kari nodded. "And it wouldn't work at all on you and Yugi. The Millennium Items should shield you."

"Why, exactly, am I supposed to believe in all this magic rubbish?"

"Because I scared him witless not that long ago. He certainly believed then." Yami smirked, Kaiba chose to glare at him, "Thought I didn't exist." Yami said to Kaiba, who continued to scowl as he turned back to Dumbledore.

"The only reason I'm here is because Mokuba begged me to come." Kaiba growled.

"Ah yes, Mokuba Kaiba, he also has a place for next year. He just missed the deadline for this year." Dumbledore said, "And there's a way around the fact you're too old, we can make you look like you're the same age as the other students."

" _What do you think, Yami?"_

' _It would be interesting.'_

" _Should we go?"_

' _What do you want to do?'_

" _I'd quite like to see what this is all about."_

' _Then say yes.'_ Yami said, smiling. He looked around, Joey was waiting for Yugi's reply, Ryou looked like he wanted to go and Kari and Ombre were having a talk about it. Finally Ombre smiled and Kari nodded, grinning.

"I'd like to go." Ryou said.

"And me." Kari said after.

"Me too." Yugi spoke up,

"If Yugi's going, then so am I." Joey answered. They looked at Kaiba.

"I swear if this is some kind of joke…I'm only going so I can keep an eye on my rival." Kaiba growled. Yami smirked, Kaiba was interested, he just pretending not to be.

"Don't worry about your other half Pharaoh, he'll be safe at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said, looking directly at Yami. Who stared back, Ombre laughed and recived a piercing look from Dumbledore. "And your other half will be safe too, Princess."

"You can see them?" Yugi gasped.

"Most wizards and witches will be able to." Dumbledore said, "Don't worry, I deliberately avoided ease dropping on your conversations. I just guessed that both spirits would be worried about their other halves. Here." He said, handing out amulets. "These are charmed with the spell that will make you look the same age as the other students." Kaiba stared at it then put it on, with his duel monster card shaped locket.

Kari looked at Yugi, Joey and Ryou who nodded and put on the amulets. Yugi screwed his eyes up tightly, the light was so bright it hurt his eyes if he didn't. "You can open your eyes now." Came the amused voice of Professor Dumbledore, Joey was the first to open his eyes, he looked around. "Uh guys..." He was closer to the ground, and he saw something that made him worried, behind him, Yugi, Ryou, Kari and Kaiba opened their eyes, as Joey turned on the Professor, "What happened?" A small brunette growled. Yugi had to guess it was Kaiba, he was just glad their clothes had shrunk to fit their new bodies. He'd moved in front of Yugi, Kari and Ryou.

Yugi stared at the child in front of him, a tall blonde child who couldn't be more then eleven who had Joey's voice was glaring at the professor, "I told you, the first years are all eleven years old, the effects of the pendants only last while you're wearing them." Yami and Ombre stared at their hikaris, they'd agreed to their hikari's going to Hogwarts, but this was unexpected. Yami was surprised a how his hikari looked, "Yugi!" Yami gasped and the eleven year old version of his hikari turned around to face the Pharaoh, "You weren't affected?" This Yugi's voice hadn't broken and Yami was surprised at how small his hikari was, barley taller then Rebecca was. Yami shook his head and checked himself, no, he was still in the form of Yugi's true age, Ombre was too, as he looked over to where Ombre and Kari were having a loud mental discussion, he could tell it was loud because Kari kept wincing.

Ombre stared at her hikari, the girl was small anyway, but this Kari could only be about 11, and around 4'2", not that Yugi was much taller. Kari was staring up at Ombre, and slowly getting angrier and angrier. It was quite amusing seeing the teenage Princess backing away from an eleven year old version of her hikari. He was just glad the Tomb Robber wasn't coming out of the Ring to see this, he'd have taken the opportunity to try to take the children's Millennium Items. The small dark blonde girl finally turned to Professor Dumbledore and frowned, "This isn't going to work if it doesn't effect our yamis."

"You don't know if it works when they take over yet." Dumbledore said, both Yugi and Kari nodded and Yami and Ombre took over. Both children grew about an inch, Yugi's eyes turned crimson, Kari's eyes went magenta. Kari and Yugi's hair both changed, and the yamis vanished from they places by their hikari's side. The yamis were in control but they were children, this time the hikaris appeared as teenage spirits. "I guess it only affects the body, we're still our regular age as spirits." Kari said.

Dumbledore nodded, "It seems to work for your other halves though, as long as their in control, I'd recommend that you didn't come out as spirits with too many students around to see you." He answered as the hikaris took back over. Joey looked the two hikari's over. Both were small and looked like they could do with toughening up, he hated to say it but, before they'd become friends, he'd started bullying Yugi at this age. Kaiba scowled and took off his amulet, and they had to cover their eyes as Kaiba became a teenager again. "So it does work both ways, interesting. How exactly are we supposed to get to England?"

"I'll be taking you. If you grab your things and meet me back here, I'll take you." The others nodded and all dispersed.

"Oi, Ironhide." Kari turned to stare at Kaiba, "I won't be paying you for this you know." Kari bit her lip. "I'll have the company pay your rent, but that's it." Kari smiled.

"Thanks."

They were at their houses and flats and back in less then 20 minutes. Dumbledore smiled, he didn't think any of them would bail. Not even the 'disbeliever' who'd been the first to return. Yugi and the others waited and Dumbledore pulled out his wand. "You'll need to put on your amulets before we go." They did and Joey smirked at the look on Kaiba's face. It would take a while for them all to get used to this, but Kaiba seemed to be completely stunned by the sudden realisation that yes, magic was actually real. Kari guessed Dumbledore said something in Latin and Domino vanished, to be replaced by a street in London.

"Welcome to London." Dumbledore said, pushing open the doors to 'The Leaky Cauldron.' "You'll be staying here until the departure day." He said, handing out train tickets. "There is a spell that makes the pub only visible to other wizards and witches before you ask, Mr Kaiba." Kaiba shut his mouth, he'd been just about to ask why non-magical people had been unable to find the pub before Dumbledore had spoken. "I have to go, you should be able to find your way around, you'll need to go shopping for school supplies later. You all brought your supply lists, I hope." They all nodded, "Tom will show you to your rooms." He said, pointing out the barman as he turned and left. Yugi, Joey, Kari, Ryou and Kaiba were all left in the middle of The Leaky Cauldron, completely confused as to what they should do next.

Kaiba went up to the bar. "Excuse me. We were told you could show us to our rooms." Tom nodded and took the five up to their rooms.

"I'm supposed to show you how to get to Diagon Alley later as well. If you want something to eat, don't hesitate to order." Tom said as he showed Kaiba, who was last, to his room.

About dinner time, after the shouting in the room next to his died down, Kaiba shut off his laptop and went downstairs to where the others were waiting for food. "Hey Rich-boy!" Joey called.

"We're going to get our supplies after lunch," Yugi said, as he sat down at the opposite end of the table form the mutt, "Do you want to come?" Kaiba growled but nodded. Then the food arrived and all chance of telling them he wasn't going to hang around with them once they got to this 'Hogwarts' place went out the window.


	2. Diagon Alley

Kari tried to pay as they finished their meal, but Tom waved it away, saying that Dumbledore had more then covered their stay. Kari had to wonder if they had any idea how much Joey ate. "I'll take you to Diagon Alley, once you're ready."

"No need Tom. I have to take young Harry around for his school supplies too." A humongous man in a very large coat said, a small black haired child by his side.

"Bless my soul, it's Harry Potter!" Tom exclaimed and the whole pub was in uproar in seconds. The gang and Kaiba looked at each other, other then Ryou who was staring at the boy, who was this Harry Potter? And why did he have a gathering a big as the fangirls that followed Yugi around? They were waved over by the big man.

"Rubius Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. You must be the exchange students." They nodded and introduced themselves. "I've got to take Harry to Diagon Alley for his supplies, Professor Dumbledore told me you would be arriving today so I'll take you, if that's not a problem for you Tom." Tom shook his head and Hagrid pushed his way through the crowd with the group close behind. Harry stayed closest to Hagrid, which didn't surprise Yugi at all, having been at the receiving end himself. "Your Yugi Muto aren't you?" Harry asked as they stopped in a room, "But I thought you were older."

"Same name, similar decks, similar looks." Yugi said, feeling bad about lying to the boy as Hagrid counted bricks and tapped them with his pink umbrella, "Three up, two across," He muttered, "Alright everyone stand back." Hey did so as an archway formed in the wall. "Welcome," Hagrid said, "To Diagon Alley." Everyone was stunned, the only one that looked slightly unsurprised was Ryou, who was the only full blood wizard among them, or so Yugi guessed. He could feel Yami looking through his eyes and taking in everything.

"Yes, you'll need one of those Harry, but the first place we should go is Gringotts, the wizarding bank. You'll need to take out some money, Harry, and you others probably have to exchange your currency." Kaiba nodded, wondering what the exchange rate was.

"Mr Hagrid. I need to take money out from my vault, under the name Bakura." Ryou said, the others looked at him, he had a vault? Ryou noticed and sighed as they reached the huge building and walked up the white stone steps where they were bowed to by a…"Yeah, that's a goblin." Hagrid said as they went through the first door.

A second set of doors were ahead of them, silver with words on.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn,_

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

" _I hope you're paying attention!"_ Ryou said to his yami who had woken up at the mention of a bank. He and Bakura had gotten on slightly better since the match against Yami at Battle City, when Bakura had saved him, even though he still swore it was because he needed the boy, both hikari and yami knew it was something else, more like brotherly love. Bakura sent Ryou feelings of being insulted which made the boy smirk, it would be a cold day in hell before Bakura didn't like to steal stuff.

"Ryou…" Yugi budged him and they went through the door, catching up with the others quickly. Hagrid reached the desk, "Mr Harry Potter and Mr Ryou Bakura would like to make a withdrawal and Mr Muto, Mr Wheeler, Mr Kaiba and Miss Ironhide would like to exchange currency."

"Yen for wizarding money." Kaiba said.

"And do Mr Potter and Mr Bakura have their keys?" Ryou pulled his out his pocket.

"Hold on, I think I have Harry's somewhere." He reached inside his coat, "Here they are. Oh and here's a letter from Dumbledore about the 'you-know-know-what' in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

"Very well. If you, Mr Potter and Mr Bakura would follow me, the others can get their money exchanged at the desk over there. The others filed over to the other desk, where they exchanged money, Kaiba changed up a briefcase full while Kari made the discovery that yes they did take card and exchange the cash taken out. Joey sighed as he looked at the small amount he had, only 1000 yen. Which wouldn't go very far as gold Galleons, silver Sickles and bronze Knuts. They finished exchanging as Ryou, Harry and Hagrid came back into the room. Both Hagrid and Ryou looked rather green. They went out into the sunshine. "Might as well get your uniforms." Hagrid said, nodding to the correct shop, _Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. "_ Since there's more then one of you, do you mind if I slip of for a pick me up at the Leaky Cauldron. I hate those Gringotts carts."

The group moved into the shop where a witch greeted them, "Hogwarts, dears?" they nodded. "There's someone else getting fitted up at the moment. Go on through." They did so and saw a pale boy standing on a footstool while a second witch tacked up black robes. Madam Malkin had Harry go first and a conversation passed between the two that made the others feel slightly odd. The pale blonde boy glared at them as he left, Ryou started to explain about the Hogwarts houses and Quidditch as the others were fitted with their robes, with Kari last.

Kari almost fell over backwards as they walked into the next shop to buy their books. Kari also picked up a copy of 'Hogwarts, A History.' For reading at the pub. They picked up everything on their list and then they spilt up, Harry and Hagrid went to get their wands while the others went to the pet store first. Yugi, Joey and Kaiba held their cages well away from Kari and Ryou's cats, Kari had a female smoke Egyptian Mau, while Ryou had a blue Oriental male. Kari smiled as her Egyptian Mau let her put on the collar she'd bought and they caught Hagrid and Harry going back to 'The Leaky Cauldron' with a new snowy owl and Harry's school supplies. "I'll see you back at the pub." Harry called, Yugi smiled and waved and they entered the wand shop.

"You go first." Ryou said to Yugi, who nodded and walked up to the counter.

"Hello?" A man looked around the shelves.

"Ah, you must be the transfer students I was told would come here at some point, here, here, put your owls on the desk, and put your cats and books down. Kari's Egyptian Mau started stalking around the desk until Kari hissed at it and it glared at her and went to sleep on one of the char by the window.

Yugi was first, the group watched with interest as a magical tape measure measured everything, from Yugi's height to the length of his bangs. "Wand arm?" Yugi gave him a confused look, "What arm do you write with?" Yugi held up his right arm which was duly measured. Mr Ollivander pulled out a blue box, "9 inch Holly and dragon heartstring." Yugi gave it a wave and a mirror smashed into about 300 pieces. He put it down quickly. "No matter, no matter…here." He handed Yugi another one, "8 inch elm and unicorn hair." This one caused all the boxes on the shelf in front of Yugi to fall off. In half an hour, the pile at the foot of the desk had almost reached the height of the desk, Kaiba was about to explode and there wasn't much in the shop left to break. Bakura appeared from the Millennium Ring, "RA DAMN IT!" He yelled, making everyone jump, "Will you and the Pharaoh make up your minds already!" Ombre appeared from the Millennium Orb and kicked Bakura so hard he retreated, but it was too late the damage had been done. Kari looked at Ollivander who was thinking.

"Pharaoh…alright, might as well." He pulled out a golden box, from between another gold one and a silver wand box. "One of the last made by the Ancient Egyptians, 9 inch gold and temple cat fur." Yugi waved it and a Phoenix rose from the tip and flew around his head and vanished. "That would be the one then." Yugi sighed in relief. Kari stepped forward, she had a feeling she'd be an awkward customer too. She was right, and Kaiba had had to leave the shop for fresh air before he lost his temper and Joey and Ryou were getting bored and had started a game of duel monsters on the floor of the shop. "Alright, another rare wand, Egyptian, 11 inch, silver and sphinx wing feather." Kari waved it as Kaiba came back into the shop and wings sprouted from the tip and spread before they vanished. "About time." He growled.

"Let's let rich-boy go next." Joey said as he summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon to their on-floor match. Ryou nodded. Kaiba received his quite quickly, 12 inch ash wood and icelandic blue dragon scale. Joey snorted as he won his duel with Ryou, there was no surprise that it was dragon related, he got up and went next, and was given his wand within about 20 minutes, Kaiba looked surprised at how long it had taken, but said nothing. 10 inch, ebony and dragon heart-string. An unusual wand, one of a kind Ollivander had said. Joey borrowed the money for his supplies off of Kari with a promise to pay her back. Ryou was last, and took another 20 minutes, finally ending up with a 9 inch Egyptian wood and griffin feather wand.

They finally made their way back into 'The Leaky Cauldron' as the stars came out overhead. "It took us all day to get our stuff; it was your wands that took the time." Kaiba growled. "Just remember that once we get to Hogwarts, I will NOT be hanging around with you geeks."

Yugi sighed as they sat at a table to eat, having taken their stuff upstairs, Kaiba taking one by the fire, while they ate and talked, Kari had her head stuck in 'Hogwarts, A History.' They finished and turned to Hagrid who'd come up to their table after eating with Harry, "I'll take you to the train station tomorrow." The group nodded and retreated to Yugi's room, where the spirits of all three worn items came out and a terse conversation took place. Finally breaking up as the clock struck eleven and they spilt up and retreated to their bedrooms. Yami and Yugi kept talking, Yami was suspicious of the fact that all the items bearers had Egyptian wands. Yugi checked his bag, the other three items were still there, Kari held the Millennium Orb, Ryou still had the Millennium Ring, though Yami wasn't happy about Bakura, _that blasted thief_ , being on the loose, and they were wearing the Millennium Puzzle, as well as holding the Eye, the Rod and the Millennium Necklace. Yugi had brought the items with him, after all the trouble they'd gone through to get them, and all the people who were after them, there was no way they weren't coming with him.


	3. The Sorting

The month dragged, and as the day for departure came closer Yugi and Kari had discovered a non shadow realm way to make the monsters on their cards come to life when they duelled and had placed the spell on heirs and Joey's decks. Kari had learnt that electronic devices didn't work inside the Hogwarts ground and had offered to put a spell on Kaiba's laptop but he refused help. She smirked, he'd lose his connection to his company soon and then he'd go mental. They didn't see Harry again until they were taken to King's Cross, when they bumped into his trying to find platform nine and ¾ like they were. Kari's Egyptian Mau was trying to get out of her cage. And Kari sighed, the cat was well behaved until she was cornered then she fought like a demon. They'd luckily all remembered their amulets, though Joey had nearly lost his twice over the month.

"Harry!" Yugi called, the boy looked over, and smiled, "Over here!"

"Any luck finding the platform?"

"No and we asked the guard…" Yugi trailed off as he heard…

"… packed with muggles of course, come on platform nine and ¾ this way!" A red headed woman called. Both Harry and Ryou's head s turned and Harry waved for them to follow the woman. "You first Percy." He vanished through a wall.

"Excuse me…how do you…I mean..?" Harry stammered.

"First time to Hogwarts for all of you?" Everyone nodded. "Don't worry, it's Ron's first time too." She pointed out a red headed boy next to her, "All you have to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten, best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous."

Harry nodded and went first, vanishing into the wall. Yugi went next, then Kari, Joey, Kaiba, then last of all Ryou. They'd lost Harry in the crowds. They got their stuff loaded onto the train and took their pets, decks and robes to change into onto the train with them, taking up two compartments, they would have only taken up one but Kaiba insisted on sitting apart from them, and he scared the other students so much no-one wanted to sit with him. Apparently the patented 'Kaiba death-glare' worked even as an eleven year old. Kari managed to get her cat to leave the owls alone long enough to get her back in her cage as the cat seemed to have a knack for escaping. Yugi and Joey were into their third round play-off match when the trolley came around. They bought a little of everything and shared it out as Yugi beat Joey by 200 lifepoints.

"Excuse me, have any of you seen a toad?" A girl with severely bushy hair asked. They all shook their heads and she left. Kari went and got changed and they took it in turns to keep an eye on the bags. They could hear Kaiba's cursing as the anti-electronic thing kicked in and his laptop went down.

"IRONHIDE!" Kaiba yelled as he stormed in, unchanged. "Fix this damn machine right now!"

"Go get changed and I'll have it done by the time you get back." Kaiba growled and left as Kari pulled out her wand, speaking in Egyptian, she cast the spell on Kaiba's laptop and it's screen flickered back to life as Kaiba walked into the room. "You owe me one." Kari said as he left with his laptop.

They pulled into the train station and were told that their bags and pets would be taken up to the castle, "First years this way!" Hagrid called and they dashed over to boats that would take the first years to Hogwarts.

Kari, Kaiba and two first years ended up in the same boat. Kari felt left out but was glad when she saw Bakura take over and capsize their boat before switching back leaving two freezing hikaris, a student, and a barely controlling his anger Joey in the lake. She waited for the others at the other end and they filed in last into the great hall, only just making it before the sorting started.

Yugi couldn't see over the crowds, only Joey and Kaiba could and what they saw stunned them. The hat on the stool burst into song.

_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.

_You can keep your bowlers black,_  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.

_There's nothing hidden in your head_  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands  
(though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!

"I'm gonna kill Fred and George, they said something about wrestling a troll." Someone said and Yugi blanched, Joey looked just as pleased they didn't.

They were called up in alphabetical order of surnames and it wasn't long before…"Bakura, Ryou." was called. He put on the hat and waited, unsure of what to expect. He heard a little voice in his ear.

' _Difficult, both of you are smart, but while one is shy the other is thirsty for power. One is a follower while the other is more then willing to drag the other around. Which is the host? Ah, smart but shy. Unafraid of working hard, I know where I'll put you,'_ "HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted and Ryou looked relieved as he joined the Hufflepuff table.

Yugi felt slightly ill as he watched the girl from the train become a Gryffindor, what if he wasn't wanted in any of the houses. What if they sent him home again? Yami laughed, _They won't calm down, it's Kari's turn._

Indeed it was, "Ironhide, Kari."

' _Another one with two minds, though this time you're a better team. Ah yes, brave and loyal, though often too impulsive, both willing to help your friends no matter what. A good head for learning too, both of you, you're a difficult one to place, A willingness to throw yourselves into danger for your friends combined with the willingness to learn…difficult.'_ Kari tried to think where Joey would go. She wanted to be in the same house as him, and Yugi. _'Huh, your friend means that much to you?'_ The hat continued to read her mind, _'He'd probably end up in Gryffindor, are you sure you don't want to go with others who would learn fast like you? Alright then, if you're sure…'_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

Kari grinned at Yugi as she took her place, she was welcomed by the table as she settled herself down. Everyone laughed when Longbottom, Neville, ran off with the hat when he was chosen as Gryffindor. Then, "Kaiba, Seto."

' _Ah, smart and cunning, an over worker who picks up learning like a sponge, there's only one house in which you belong,'_ "RAVENCLAW!"

Malfoy, Draco, the blonde who they'd heard someone cursing at, barely had the hat touch his head before he was classed as a Slytherin. Yugi gulped as he was called.

"Muto, Yugi."

' _Another one? How many students with two minds are there? There are many secrets hidden in your other mind, but you're both smart, loyal, though the other isn't afraid to go for what he thinks he needs. You could be perfect for any house, however your true heart, courage and bravery make the house for you an easy choice,'_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

Yugi gasped in relief, he'd been afraid that he wouldn't be picked, since in normal school no-one had wanted him on their team.

Then the hall went quiet as one name was called, "Potter, Harry." The hat seemed to take forever choosing, finally putting him in Gryffindor. The group wondered what was so important about Harry as a set of twins called, "We got Potter, we got Potter!"

Ron Weasly from the station was made a Gryffindor, leaving poor Joey was one of the last three, "Wheeler, Joseph."

Joey growled at being called Joseph as he put the hat on, _'A brave heart, though you hide secrets from your friends. You are willing to help them in anyway and have a lot of courage, you are daring and brave, and unafraid of helping your friends, the right house for you is…'_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

Kari, Joeyand Kari all sat together at the Gryffindor table as Zabini, Blaise was made a Slytherin. The group at the Gryffindor table all recognised the headmaster as he stood up, "Welcome," He said, "to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet," Joey's stomach growled, "I would like to say a few words. And here they are, Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down.

"Is he a bit mad?" They heard Harry ask Percy.

"Mad? He's a genius!" Percy said, praising the wizard, "Best wizard in the world! But yes he is a little mad, potatoes, Harry?"

Yugi and Joey stacked their plates high. Kari snorted at Joey but was surprised as Yugi. She knew money was tight at the moment but she hadn't realised how tight, if Yugi hadn't been eating properly.

Joey jumped a mile as a ghost came through a plate he was trying to reach for. "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpinton at your service, resident ghost of Gryffindor house." Kari, Joey and Yugi smiled, if only he knew.

"I know you, you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"Nearly headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

"Like this!" He pulled his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off of his shoulders as if someone had tried to decapitate him and not done it properly. Kari lost her appetite fast.

By the time Kari's appetite returned the deserts had appeared on the tables out of nowhere, and she claimed almost a whole apple pie for the group as the conversation turned to family. "I'm half an' half, dad's a muggle, mam's witch, bit of a shock for him when he found out." Kari laughed as she heard Neville's story. He turned to her, "What about you Kari."

"Muggle born through and through." She said smiling, Yugi and Joey were having a lengthy conversation about Duel Monsters. Kari turned to their conversation, finding she and Hermione had quite a few things in common. "Ouch!" Harry said. He was sat across from Yugi, who looked up. "You alright?"

"Yeah." He turned to Percy as Yugi turned back to his discussion with Joey.

Dumbledore stood up again and the hall fell silent, as the deserts disappeared. "A few more words, now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give out. First years should note that the Forbidden Forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils, a few of our older students would do well to remember that." Kari couldn't help his gaze pass over the Weasley twins, "I have also been asked by Mr Filch, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out-of-bounds to all those who do not wish to die a very painful death."

"He's not serious?" Kari heard.

"Must be."

"Now one last thing, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song." Dumbledore flicked his wand and the words appeared in gold in the air, "Everyone pick their favourite tune and off we go!"

' _Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty, Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bold,_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with some filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now their bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains rot.'_

The twins were the last ones to finish, Kari smirked, a slow funeral march, she had the feeling if they'd have been going much longer they'd have needed one.

"Ah music, a magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the crowds and up the marble staircase, amd as Percy led them around Yugi yawned and Kari was soon after. They were just wondering how much further when they suddenly stopped.

A bundle of floating walking sticks was in mid-air above them and were flying at Percy as he approached. "Peeves, a poltergeist. Show yourself!" The last two words were with raised voice. A rude sound followed, "Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" Kari looked at he other's confused.

"Oooohhh, Ickle firsties! What fun!" Percy threatened him with the Bloody Baron again and Peeves flew off.

They walked along and reached a portrait of a very, very fat lady in a pink dress. "Password?" She asked.

"Caput Draconis." The portrait swung forward to reveal a hold in the wall which they all scrambled through, though Kari, Yugi and Neville required a boost, and they found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cosy round room full of squashy armchairs. Kari and Hermione were spilt up from the boys as the girls went through one door and the boys another.

There were five beds a room, and their stuff was already there. Too tierd to talk much they just got changed and fell into bed. Kari, Hermione and three other girls bunked together, while Yugi, Joey, Harry, Ron and Neville all got stuck together.

"Great food, wasn't it?" Ron asked, "Get off Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets!" Yugi wondered where Kari's Mau would be sleeping as he drifted off to sleep and he prayed it didn't find Ron's rat or the friend they'd made over the dinner table wouldn't be talking to them.

It didn't take long for the students to drift off to sleep.


	4. Ghosts, Teachers and Students

Yami prodded Yugi awake about 3 am, someone was awake, Yugi looked around sleepily. Harry wasn't in bed. He was sat over by the open window, stroking his snowy owl, Hedgewig. "You ok Harry?" Yugi whispered, not that he had to worry about waking Joey, he'd sleep through an earthquake.

"I'm fine, I just feel out of my league." Harry admitted, "You heard them, talking about me as if I'm some sort of hero."

"What did you do? I mean you're as famous as…my namesake." Yugi quickly thought about what he was going to say then.

"You really don't know?" Yugi shook his head.

"Ryou is pure blood so he told us how he-who-must-not-be-named terrorised the world until about 11 years ago, but he was cut off from telling us too much by the arrival of a very rude blonde, Malfoy, I think, you know, the one who insulted Ron while we were waiting to go into the great hall."

"Well, you heard them calling me 'the-boy-who-lived' right? Apparently, he killed my parents when I was a baby and when he tried to kill me his powers broke. No-one knows how, so I'm sort of hero for doing something I don't even remember."

"That's harsh, to be famous for something you don't remember." _Kind of like Yami, but Yami can't remember, Harry was too young to remember._ Yugi said, "Tell you what, we're both new here, why don't we help each other out."

"As long as you promise not to call me anything other then Harry." Harry smiled at Yugi who nearly laughed, which was stopped by him sticking his fist in his mouth, and then he agreed to that condition.

* * *

Yugi and the others realised something over the next week, "There are too many damn staircases!" Joey cussed in Japanese, making Harry give him a very odd look, as they walked up staircase number 73. Kari had remembered reading in Hogwarts, A History, that there were one hundred and forty-two staircases in the school in all. They discovered doors that weren't actually doors, or wouldn't open unless you asked, or tickled them, and everything moved around and Yugi had been scared out of his wits when a portrait asked him a question. They had the same lessons as Harry, Ron and Hermione so they stuck together when trying to find their classes.

The ghosts were not much help either, though their resident ghost, Nearly Headless Nick was happy to point them in the right direction, by the time they got to 3rd lesson on the first day, Peeves the Poltergeist was afraid of two things, The Bloody Baron…and Ombre. The yami had finally lost her temper and come out in her spirit form when Kari had been late for class and Peeves had dropped a water bomb on her head, soaking Kari, her books and her stuff.

Peeves had laughed and Ombre had literally kicked his ass all the way across the school and did not stop kicking him until the maximum distance she could travel away from the Millennium Orb, without Kari, was reached, where she stopped and blasted the poltergeist with shadow magic from a distance until she was sure Kari was in class and Peeves was sure he was going to die again.

Though there was something worse then Peeves if Kari wasn't around. The caretaker, Argus Filch, had taken a distinct dislike to Joey and Yugi after they'd made the mistake of being with Harry and Ron on the first morning when they'd been trying to make their way through a door which, unfortunately for them, led to the out-of-bounds corridor, and Filch had been sure they were trying to do it on purpose. Luckily the four boys were saved by Professor Quirrell, who'd been passing.

Filch owned at cat, but it wasn't sleek like Kari's Egyptian Mau or Ryou's Oriental, Mrs Norris was a scrawny, dust coloured creature with bulging lamp-like eyes. She walked the corridors, picking fights with other cats and keeping a watchful eye on the students, just one toe out of line and she'd fetch Filch, who'd appear out of nowhere, more then willing to give a student a punishment. After Mrs Norris had nearly caused Filch to catch her and Ombre using shadow magic to get to class, more then once, Kari really wanted to kick the damn cat.

Then once they got to class they learnt this sort magic wasn't like Shadow Magic and it wasn't just waving wands and saying odd words. Studying night skies every Wednesday at midnight, learning the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week, they had Herbology with Professor Sprout, in the greenhouses behind the castle.

The worst lesson was History of Magic, which was taught by a ghost. Professor Binns apparently had fallen asleep and got up to teach next morning…without his body. The ghost droned on and on and Kari often only kept the names straight because she had Ombre to help her. She scribbled names down quickly, often being prodded mentally by Ombre. She had to avoid laughing out loud as Yugi fell asleep on his desk and suddenly sat bolt upright like Yami had scared him awake.

Their charms professor, Professor Flitwick, was even smaller then Yugi with his amulet, and had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. Joey had gotten five points taken from Gryffindor because when Professor Flitwick read Harry's name for the first time in the register, he'd squeaked and toppled off the books, out of sight, causing Joey to laugh his head off.

Professor McGonagall was different again, strict and clever, she'd given them a talking to the moment they'd sat down, as Kari fidgeted with her amulet. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts." She'd said, staring at Joey who'd gotten lost from the group and had been even later then they had. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." She then turned her desk in a pig and back again.

After making a lot of notes, Professor McGonagall had given them matches to turn into needles. By the end of the lesson Kari had given up and was sat glaring at it, half tempted to send the damn match to the shadow realm, while Hermione, who was sat beside her, had gotten her match to change slightly, making it silver and pointy.

The lesson everyone was looking forward to was Defence Against The Dark Arts, but it turned out to be a bit of a joke. Quirrell was useless, and seemed afraid of his own shadow.

Friday was an important day for the group, the first day they found the great hall without getting lost. "Harry!" Kari called, "What have we got today?" Harry poked Ron, as the red head poured sugar on his cereal.

"Ron, what have we got today?"

"Double potions with the Slytherins," Ron replied through a mouthful of food, "Snape's head of Slytherin house; they say he always favours them, we'll find out if it's true." Kari sighed.

Harry looked around, Kari was searching the crowds for someone, he noticed Yugi and Joey were absent from the benches, her eyes wandered over to the Hufflepuff table and she was right, Ryou was missing from it too. She looked over to the Ravenclaw table where Kaiba was never seen without his laptop, which he was forced to 'close it or lose it' during lessons, but was always found with it open at breakfast. Without thinking, Ombre took over and smiled at Harry before walking out the door with a half eaten piece of toast. "I'll meet you in class." She called over her shoulder.

Harry thought about that for a moment, had Kari's eyes been magenta then? And what was with the magic he'd felt when she'd gotten up? He was distracted by the arrival of the post owls.

Ombre frowned as she sensed shadow magic. She raced around to the, luckily, almost empty courtyard, where Yami was being restrained from decking a severely smug Bakura by an angry Joey. "You baka Tomb-robber!" Yami growled, unable to escape Joey's restraining arms.

"You were the one who fell for it, baka Pharaoh!"

"Baka Tomb-robber!"

"Baka Pharaoh!"

"Baka Tomb-robber!"

"Baka Pharaoh!"

"Baka Tomb-robber!" Ombre growled, didn't they realise this was all in English?

"Cut it out both of you!" Ombre growled, her Dark Magician Girl appearing by her side and effectively silencing Bakura's next 'Baka Pharaoh!' "What happened, Joey?"

"Bakura teamed up with Peeves to prank Yugi, by dropping a suit of amour on him, and it only just missed. So now Yami wants to punch Bakura's lights out, and Peeves vanished when you appeared." Ombre smirked at that and Joey was surprised at how evil the girl could look when she'd obviously done something, obviously to the poltergeist. "Do I wanna know what you did to Peeves to scare him?" Ombre shook her head. At that moment Yami worked out how he could escape the grasp of an eleven year old Joey…he took the amulet off, causing Joey to lose his grip as he turned back into a teen. Bakura ripped his off seconds later as Yami threw a punch at him.

Ombre looked at her Dark Magician Girl who nodded and separated the two spirits with magic. Ombre retrieved the amulets and was about to hand them back when she saw someone watching them. The blonde haired boy, Malfroy, from Slytherin, ran off when he realised he'd been spotted. "Put them back on, you idiots." Ombre growled, "You've been seen." Yami glared at Bakura and put his back on, turning back into an eleven year old, Bakura smirked back as he put his own on.

Malfoy gave them all odd looks as they walked into Potions late. Snape took a note of their names and took 2 points each from Gryffindor as Ryou had a different class. Kari growled, the dungeons were hard enough to find without being late as well. "Hey Yugi, first one to shadow game Mouthboy wins."

Yugi teamed up with Joey and Kari teamed up with Hermione, half way across the classroom from Harry and Ron where Snape was hovering like an oversized bat. The Gryffindors were treated to criticism all lesson, while the only student he gave any compliments to was Malfoy, or Mouthboy as he was now dubbed by Joey and the others after Kari had said that to Yugi.

Kari rolled her eyes as at the exact moment Snape told everyone to look at the 'perfect way' Mouthboy had stewed his horned slugs when Neville managed to melt Seamus's cauldron and had been drenched in the potion while everyone else stood on stools and desks. Snape yelled at Neville and spat at Seamus to get him to the hospital wing before rounding on Harry. Kari saw Harry open his mouth to argue after Snape took points off of Gryffindor again and saw Ron kick him behind the cauldron, whispering something.

They climbed the steps an hour later, Ron and Harry went one way, Hermione another and Yugi, Joey and Yugi pretended to notice that Malfroy wasn't following them. Suddenly as they turned a corner, Joey jumped out and scared the boy. Joey smirked, "I thought your dorm was the other way." He asked…nicely. Kari wasn't fooled she'd seen this before.

"I saw that earlier, what kind of freaks are you?" Malfroy asked, sneering, "You're no student, you're adults, I can get you expelled, my father is on the board you know."

" _My I?"_ Ombre asked, repulsed by the boy.

' _Go ahead.'_ They switched and Malfroy quickly backed away from the angry yami, who advanced on him steadily, holding the Millennium Orb in her right hand. Joey knew what was happening but when Yugi and Yami switched, he nervously watched, as they scared the boy half to death, then erased his memories of the morning using their items. One angry spirit he could deal with but Yami and Ombre annoyed at the same time wasn't a good combination.

Malfroy was left looking slightly dazed as they walked the rest of the way to the great hall where it was time for dinner, Joey's stomache growled loudly, and Yami laughed and switched with Yugi again, and his stomache growled, setting Ombre's off, which switched with her hikari. "Still no winner Pharaoh," Were Ombre's parting words, Yugi smiled, this school year was going to be interesting.


	5. Flying Lessons and Wizard Duels

By the following Wednesday there was still no clear winner between the yamis. Malfoy still couldn't remember what had happened that morning, but was being extra obnoxious for it, giving Yami, Ombre and Bakura many excuses for Shadow Gaming the git, but he was never on his own, he always had Crabbe and Goyle, two Slytherin thugs, who looked like they didn't own a brain cell between them. So the yamis couldn't get near him.

Kari leapt up from the chair by the fire as a notice was posted on the board, she read it then stormed back over to where Yugi and Joey were duelling with their charmed cards. She slumped into a chair and Yugi took his eyes off the game for a moment to look at her, "What's wrong?"

"You know how I was looking forward to flying lessons?" Yugi and Joey nodded, though Joey wasn't taking his eyes off the game. "Guess who we've got them with, and he's blonde and aggravating." Joey looked up as the turn passed to Yugi, who turned back to the game.

"Don't tell me we're with Mouthboy!"

"All right, I won't tell you." Kari sighed, and her cat jumped up on her lap. Kari stroked it without thinking, "They start tomorrow, actually I wouldn't know which is worse, having them with the Slytherins or having them with Bakura." Yugi snorted and played Monster Reborn, giving him three monsters on the field, Yugi looked at a card in his hand and smiled, Joey blanched as he realised Yugi didn't have to hold back since they were the only ones in the common room, "Oh come on Yugi, you wouldn't…!"

Yugi did, "I sacrifice all three for Slipher, The Sky Dragon." The Egyptian God monster appeared as a miniature version of the great beast that had helped him out during Battle City, Kari blanched, looking around, she couldn't see anyone though and turned back to the duel. She was unaware of the two just coming into the common room as Yugi's God attacked Joey's Gilford the Lightening. Harry had stopped to read the notice on the board and froze as Slipher's attack blasted away the rest of Joey's life points. It wasn't as if this was the first duel he'd seen come to a close, but he knew from television that, that monster was an Egyptian God Monster, belonging to Yugi Muto, this Yugi's 'namesake', the King of Games.

Another thing he'd noticed about Yugi and his friends, Yugi, Kari and Ryou all seemed to undergo personality changes, Ryou was the worst, going from sweet and fragile, to a devious and slightly insane person. Yugi changed from a innocent kid, to a much more confident and slightly cocky person. Kari went from a hot-headed girl to a sometimes calm and collected person with a huge temper if she was crossed, was it possible the three were possessed? And they all wore those amulets, even Seto Kaiba, in Ravenclaw. Harry wondered what the amulets were, if Joey, Yugi and Kari weren't all they seemed to be but he'd tried looking them up in the library with no results.

Harry read the sign and sighed, "Typical, just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy." He had been looking forward to learning to fly more then anything else. Kari looked up startled, and Yugi quickly shuffled his God back into his deck, causing the magic causing Slipher to appear to vanish, causing the image to vanish.

"You don't know you'll make a fool of yourself," Ron said, waving to the others, "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good his is at Quidditch, but I bet it's all talk. Hey guys, heard the news." Kari nodded glumly. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine."

Kari's new friend, Hermione Granger, was almost as nervous as Neville was, Neville had never been on a broom and Hermione couldn't learn this out of a book. Kari sighed when her lecture from a book called 'Quidditch through the ages' was cut short by the arrival of the post owls. Harry never got mail, over then Hagrid's note, neither had Joey or Kari. Kaiba sent letters to Mokuba and got letter back every few days, so his large eagle owl was often loaded with forms and letters from his company and from Mokuba. Yugi had his tawny owl which often came with things from his grandfather, they had no idea about Ryou, as he wasn't often at the breakfast table.

A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother, he showed Kari a glass ball the size of a large marble that was full of white smoke. "What is it?"

"A Rememberall, Gran knows I forget things, this tells you if you've forgotten to do something. Look you hold it tight like this and if it turns red…" And it did, his face fell, "you've forgotten something." Kari smiled as he tried to think what it was, loosing interest in the conversation.

Malfoy was passing the Gryffindor table, and snatched Neville's Rememberall. Harry and Ron jumped to their feet, Kari rose slowly, switching with Ombre halfway up. Yami and Joey were quick to follow. Malfoy wasn't sure why but something told him to be afraid of the magenta eyed girl and the spiky haired boy. All five were itching to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble in a flash, was there in an instant.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Rememberall, Professor." Malfoy dropped the Rememberall on the table, backing away slightly, scowling and knowing he was outnumbered.

"Just looking." He said, as he walked away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

At three thirty that afternoon, the group hurried down the front steps to the grounds, for their first flying lesson. It was a clear breezy day and they headed towards a smooth lawn opposite the Forbidden Forest. The Slytherins were already there as where 20 broomsticks lying in neat lines. Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short gray hair and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well what are you waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Hurry up!" She barked. Kari took a spot opposite Malfoy and grinned sadistically at him. "Stick out your right hand over your broom and say 'Up'."

Harry's broom leapt into his hand, as did Yugi's and Kari's but very few others's brooms did. Harry smirked when he saw Malfoy's broom took four attempts to come to his hand. Kari was grinning. Madam Hooch showed them how to mount their brooms and corrected the grips of the students, causing the gang to smirk as she told Malfoy he'd been gripping his broom wrong for years. "Now when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two…"

But Neville, nervous and jumpy, pushed off before the whistle even touched her lips. "Come back boy!" She shouted, but Neville was rising too fast. Kari watched as he gasped, slid sideways off his broom and Kari threw her arm out, slowing his decent with her shadow magic, but not enough to stop…

Neville hit the ground with a horrible crack, landing in the grass in a heap. His broomstick escaped to the forbidden forest. Neville was being examined by Madam Hooch as Kari wavered, and was caught by Joey. "Broken wrist." Harry heard her mutter, "Come on boy, it's alright, up you get." She turned and scowled at the rest of the class, "None of you is too move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts faster then you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on dear." Neville hobbled out of sight with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.

"I like having the power to move objects, even falling people." Kari whispered to Joey, who nodded and smiled at her. It had taken Kari ages to get the hang of her powers, which stemmed from her Millennium item.

"You OK, Kari?" Hermione asked, concerned for her friend as Kari regained some colour in her face getting to her feet with Joey's support. Kari nodded and scowled at Malfoy as he laughed, "Did you see the look his face, the great lump." The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Kari snapped testily, her head beginning to pound.

"Oh sticking up for him, Ironhide?" Said Pansy Parkingson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl, "And I thought you had a thing for Wheeler." Kari blushed and Joey finally removed his hands from her shoulders.

"Look!" Malfoy said, darting forward and nabbing something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran gave him." The Rememberall sparkled in the sun.

"Give that here Malfoy!" Harry said quietly, everyone stopped talking to listen. Malfoy smirked nastily.

"How about I leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find? How about on the roof?"

"Give it here!" Harry shouted but Malfoy had leapt onto his broom and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Hovering in mid-air he called down, "Come and get it Potter!"

"Harry, no," Hermione called as Harry grabbed his broomstick, "You'll get us all into trouble." He ignored her and took off. Their words were lost to the rest of the groups ears as they two exchanged banter on their broomsticks. Joey gasped as Malfoy threw the orb as high as possible into the air. The orb shot up, then slowed and started to fall, gaining speed on its way down. Harry dived, catching the Rememberall and pulling up at the last minute, toppling onto the grass, the Rememberall safely in his grip. "HARRY POTTER!"

Yugi looked up from where he was giving Harry a hand to his feet, Professor McGonagall was running over, "Never – in all my time at Hogwarts – how dare you- might have broken your neck…"

"It wasn't his fault, Professor…"

"Be quiet Miss Ironhide."

"But Malfoy…"

"That's enough Mr Weasley, Potter, follow me." The group lost sight of Harry but Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were all smirking. Kari's stomach did back flips and Ombre took over, walking up to Malfoy. The boy looked at her and saw her eyes were magenta again, he didn't want to show weakness but took two steps back anyway.

"You wouldn't do anything."

"Try me."

"Alright, I challenge you to a wizards duel. Tonight if you like, wands only, no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before?"

"Of course she has," Ryou said, panting, he'd just run down from the infirmary, "I'll be her second. Who's yours?" Ron had wondered off.

"Crabbe." Malfoy said, sizing up his goons. They were relieved from the class early by Ryou's message. "Midnight? In the trophy room, it's always unlocked." Malfoy walked off.

Ombre rounded on Ryou, "What is a wizard duel? And what do you mean second?"

Ryou explained on the way back up to the castle. Hermione prodded Kari, would taken back control, they fell back from the group and weren't seen at lunch.

* * *

Kari walked down into the common room and looked at the time, 11:45, she should go and meet Ryou, Hermione was stood at the entrance, glaring at her, "You can't stop me Hermione."

"It's not you I have to stop is it?" Hermione asked, "It's the other." Kari stared at her, and Ombre was shocked. "I've worked it out, you, Yugi and Ryou, you're all possessed aren't you."

"What do you mean?" Kari asked, pretending to be surprised.

"The changes in your eyes, your attitudes, it's been noticeable to me since the start of term. You're possessed and it was the other who accepted Malfoy's challenge wasn't it?" Ombre surprised Kari by appearing in her spirit form in front of Hermione.

"It was and I never back away from a challenge. My name is Ombre, you're a smart kid." Hermione's jaw dropped, she hadn't expected to actually get to see the spirit that possessed her new friend.

Kari looked at her watch, "Ombre we're going to be late." The spirit turned to Hermione, "It would be no good erasing your memories, you'd just work it out again, but don't get in my way." Ombre vanished and a golden flash showed up under her robe. Kari's hazel eyes turned magenta and she got a hard look, Hermione gulped.

"You'll get Kari into trouble if you're caught."

"I won't get caught." Ombre said, pushing her way out of the portrait, Hermione followed her, "Ombre, you're going to lose Gryffindor house points."

"I won't get caught." Ombre repeated, "Just go back to bed."

"Alright but when Kari's on the train home tomorrow remember I told you so." Hermione turned to got re-enter the common room but found the fat lady gone. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

"You'll have to come with me, stay close." Ombre said, as she cloaked herself and Hermione in shadow magic and they made their way to the trophy room. Ombre found herself explaining about Yami and Bakura, and about their past. They reached the trophy room, where she was surprised to find not only Ryou, but Harry, Ron and Neville as well. "Kari, what's going on? Malfoy challenged Harry to a Wizard's duel at midnight, but Ryou says Malfoy challenged you too." Ombre nodded and Hermione noted that the spirit answered to Kari when she was around people who didn't know about her and Kari.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."

"Filch!" Ombre growled quietly. The group scurried to the door the opposite side of the room and crept down a hall filled with armour. Neville tripped and grabbed Ron pulling them both into a suit of amour. Ombre turned but was too slow to stop the amour crashing into the ground, loudly.

"RUN!" Harry yelled, and they sprinted for it. Ending up near the Charms corridor, miles from the trophy room. "I think we've lost him." Harry panted, they were spread over the corridor, recovering from the run. Ombre was the only one who was not tired.

"I – told – you – Kari!" Hermione gasped, "I – told- you!"

"We've got to get Gryffindor tower as fast as possible." Said Ron.

"Malfoy tricked you." Hermione said to Ombre and Harry. "You both realise that don't you? He was never going to meet either of you – Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy tipped him off."

"Let's go!" Harry said, but it wasn't going to be that easy as Peeves came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. He caught them and gave a squeal of delight. A gold flash and Kari was stood where Ombre had been seconds earlier, and Ombre was stood, as a spirit, glaring at Peeves. "Be quiet Peeves."

"Wandering in the corridors at midnight? I think even you, Miss spoil-all-my-fun, are breaking the rules here. Tut tut naughty naughty, you'll get caughty."

"Not if you don't give us away Peeves."

"Why shouldn't I?" Peeves grinned insanely at Ombre, who was suddenly aware that Harry, Ron and Neville were staring at her and realised she'd given herself away. "I should tell Filch, I should, it's for your own good you know." Ombre growled and took a step forward, causing Peeves to float backwards but Ron took a swipe at him.

"STUDENT'S OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR! STUDENT'S OUT OF…" He was silenced as Kari and Ombre raised their arms and used Shadow magic to silence the ghost. Ducking under the ghost, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor, into a locked door. They could hear Filch's footsteps running to where Peeve's voice had come from. "Oh, this is it, this is the end!" Ron moaned and Hermione growled.

"Oh move over!" She grabbed Kari's wand, which sparked slightly, "Alohomora!" The lock opened and they piled into the room, as the shadow spell on Peeves wore off, shutting it quickly and listening to what was going on, on the other side.

"Where did they go, Peeves?" Filch asked, "Quick tell me."

Peeves had obviously learnt his lesson about messing with Ombre, "Say please." Or maybe he just enjoyed winding up Filch, who knew.

"Don't mess around with me Peeves, now WHERE DID THEY GO?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please!" Peeves said, in an annoying sing-song voice. No he was just annoying Filch, which was obviously more fun the landing the girl spirit in trouble.

"Alright, please." Filch sounded as if he was about to snap.

"NOTHING! Haha, told you I wouldn't say nothing if you don't say please." They heard Peeves whooshing off and Filch cursing in rage. They heard his voice trail off and Harry turned to Neville who'd been tugging his robe for the last few minutes. "What?"

He turned and saw what the others were staring at, a huge, three headed dog was staring at them and it was starting to growl. They quickly worked out they were in the Forbidden Corridor, and just as quickly exited. The Gryffindors didn't stop running until they reached the fat lady's portrait on the seventh floor. While Ryou escaped in his common room a couple of floors down. "Where on earth have you been?" She asked them.

"Nevermind, pig snout, pig snout." Harry panted and they all piled into the chairs in the common room, as the portrait swung open.

It was a while before anyone said something, Neville was staring at Kari with an ashen face and looked like he'd never speak again. "What do they think their doing, keeping a dog like that locked up in a school like this?"

"You don't use your eyes do you?" Hermione snapped, "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry asked, and was immediately made to feel stupid by Kari and Hermione.

"No, a trap door, it was guarding something." She stood up, glaring at them, especially Kari, "I hope you're all happy. Now if you don't mind I'm going to bed before any of you come up with another clever plan to get us killed or worse expelled."

Ron stared at her as she left, "No, we don't mind, it's not like we invited her along." Kari grimaced, "You didn't?"

No, Kari admitted, "But she was talking to me and got shut out of the common room so she had to come."

Harry had been given two somethings else to think about, one he had most defiantly seen a ghost that looked almost identical to Kari, like he had in his dorm, with one that looked like Yugi, who was trying to wake the small boy up. And two what was it Hagrid said, 'Ain't no safer place, 'cept perhaps Hogwarts.' Harry realised he'd worked out where the package from the vault had gone.


	6. Broomsticks and Trolls

Mouthboy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Harry, Ron and Kari all whispering to their friends about the nights adventure, indeed, while Harry hadn't asked about the Kari like ghost yet, he considered last night an adventure and he wanted to have another one. Hermione and Neville didn't care what was down the trap door, in fact Hermione was only just speaking to Kari again, after Ombre had apologised to the girl for dragging both Hermione and her hikari out of Gryffindor tower that night.

Yugi and Joey looked interested, though she felt Yugi's stare when the two boy's had said they'd seen a flash of golden light and a ghost almost exactly like Kari had appeared. _'That reminds me, I must tell Yugi that Hermione knows about Ombre and the other yamis.'_ However, since Hermione wasn't talking to the boys at the moment anyway it didn't seem to matter.

As the post owls flooded into the hall, everyone's attention was caught by a long thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was as amazed as his friends and was surprised when it was dropped right in front of him. Another owl dropped a letter on top. Harry opened the latter first and his face broke into a grin as he passed the note around. Yugi read it and realised why it was such an odd shape.

**_Do not open the package at the table!_ **

**_It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand,_ **

**_But I don't want everyone knowing you've_ **

**_Got a broomstick or they'll all want one._ **

**_Oliver Wood will meet you on the_ **

**_Quidditch pitch at seven o'clock for your_ **

**_First training session._ **

**_Professor McGonagall_ **

They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first lesson, but found their path upstairs blocked by Malfoy and his goons. Malfoy seized Harry's package and felt it.

"That's a broomstick! You'll be in for it this time, first years aren't allowed them."

"It's not just any old broomstick, it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home? A Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned, "Comet look flashy, but their not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back, "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig."

"Why you…" Ron lunged for Malfoy, but was grabbed by Joey. Kari scowled at Malfoy as Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys…" He said Kari raise her eyebrow, "And girl."

"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor."

"Ah yes, that's right. Professor told me about the special circumstances, Potter, what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir, and it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it." While Harry and Ron hid their laughter, Joey and Kari didn't do such a great job, laughing their heads off at Malfoy's rage and confusion. Yugi smiled as Harry spoke again, "Well, it's true," Harry was speaking through laughs, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Rememberall I wouldn't be on the team…"

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" Hermione said as they turned around to see who was speaking, glaring at the package in Harry's hands.

"Oh come on Hermione, chill it." Kari said, tiredly, she hadn't woken up yet.

"I thought you weren't talking to us?" Harry said,

"Yes, don't stop now, its doing us so much good." Hermione stormed away and Ron backed away quickly from Kari's glare. She bolted off after Hermione and the others bolted up to their dorm and unwrapped the broomstick. "Wow!"

It was sleek and shiney, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat straight twigs, and nimbus Two Thousand was written in gold near the top. The group watched Harry go off to practise, then Yugi, Joey went out to meet Kari by the lake, slightly surprised to see Ryou there. "Guys," She said, looking around and making sure there was no-one around. "We have a problem."

"What is it?" Yugi asked, as Yami appeared in his spirit form next to Yugi, Ombre took her's next to Kari and Bakura appeared, looking slightly annoyed.

"You know my friend, Hermione?" Bakura smirked.

"Trust you to be friends with that know-it all."

"Well she knows about you." Ombre said, growling at the Tomb-robber, "She worked it out and confronted us last night."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"It'll be no good erasing her memories; she'd just work it out again. She's not stupid." Ombre said, "She says she won't tell anyone else, but we have to be more careful. She's not the only one that suspects something."

"What do you mean?" Bakura snapped.

"What I said. Hermione isn't the only one who suspects something. Malfoy has been suspicious since we wiped his memory and Harry and Ron have noticed the change overs. It doesn't help that when you take over, baka Tomb-robber, you cause trouble all the time."

"Ah so it's all my fault you and the Pharaoh don't know how to sneak around and keep yourselves hidden." Bakura said, "and it's apparently my fault the hikaris are lame and act so much differently to us."

"What did you say?" Yami and Ombre growled as they turned and glared at the tomb-robber.

"You heard me." Kari grimaced as the three yamis ending up fighting and Ryou sighed.

"We should probably stop them."

"Not possible." Yugi sighed.

"Like trying to stop the tides." Kari said, reaching under her robes and grasping her Millennium Orb. _'Ombre!'_ Ombre stopped and looked over. _'Cut it out.'_ The spirit removed herself from the fighting and came over to her hikari.

" _Sorry."_

"You wanna try getting Yami to stop?" Kari asked Yugi who sighed and turned to the fighting yamis. _'Yami?'_ Yami stopped and Bakura glared at him.

" _Yes Yugi?"_

' _Cut it out please.'_

" _But…"_

' _We don't really have time for you to kill the Tomb Robber, someone could see you guys at any moment.'_

" _OK."_ Yami turned towards Yugi and Bakura swung a punch at Yami, who hit the ground hard. Yami turned around and leapt on Bakura, Yugi sighed and grabbed his Millennium Puzzle, yanking Yami into his soul room. Ryou did the same for Bakura.

Kari sighed as they walked back up to the castle.

* * *

Maybe it was them, but as Halloween dawned, Yugi could swear he hadn't been in the castle three months. They woke to the smell of baking pumpkin floating through the corridors. Their lessons were getting more interesting, though Bakura was making way too much use of the spell he'd picked up from Hermione, Alohomora.

Yugi's smile grew when Professor Flitwick announced to the charms class that he thought they were ready to make things fly, something the entire class had been looking forward to, Kari smirked, she was half tempted to cheat but she was partnered with Hermione and knew she knew about the Orbs power to move objects, so she had to attempt to do it the hard way. She pulled out her silver wand and turned to their feather.

"Now don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practising!" Squeaked Professor Flitwick, "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important too."

It was very difficult. Harry and Joey swished and flicked but their feather would not move. Joey got so annoyed he prodded the feather with his wand and it caught alight. Harry had to put it out with his hat.

At the next table Kari wasn't having much more luck. "Wingardium Leviosa!" She snapped, swishing and flicking her wand until her wrist was sore.

"You're saying it wrong," Yugi heard Hermione snap back, of all the awkward partners he could have gotten stuck with, why had he been partnered with Kaiba? "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"Then you do it!" Kari snarled. Joey sighed, he could have told Hermione it wasn't smart to annoy Kari today, she'd had a fight with Malfoy yesterday and had been in a bad mood ever since.

Hermione flicked her wand, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose above their heads.

"Oh look everyone, Miss Granger's done it." Kari temper didn't improve over the course of the lesson until right at the end when she was actually able to get the feather to float without using her Millennium Orb.

"How do you put up with her?" Ron asked, as Kari cracked the first smile for two days. "It's garrrr not gar. She's a nightmare, honestly!"

Someone crashed into Harry as they ran past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face – and was startled to see she was in tears. "I think she heard you." Yugi said, concerned about the girl.

"So?" Asked Ron, though he looked uncomfortable, "She must have notice she just annoyed the only friend she's got." Kari slapped him, leaving a very large red hand print on his face. Kari chased off after the girl and neither of them were seen for the rest of the day.

On the way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron heard Parvarti Patil telling her friend Lavander, that Hermione was crying in the girl's bathroom and not even her best friend could get her to open the door. Ron felt even more awkward at that but Hermione went from their minds as they walked into the Great Hall.

Yugi was concerned but let it go when he realised he couldn't do much. He and Harry were helping themselves to jacket potatoes as Professor Quirell came sprinting into the Great Hall. His turban askew and terror on his face. "Troll in the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon! Thought you'd like to know!" He slumped forward and hit the ground, he'd fainted.

There was uproar. It took Dumbledore roaring at the top of his voice and several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of his wand to bring silence. "Prefects, lead your houses back to the dormitories, teachers follow me to the dungeons."

Percy led Gryffindor house back to the dorm. As they jostled their way through a crowd, Yugi grabbed Joey's arm. "I've just had a thought, Kari and Hermione!"

"What about them?"

"They don't know about the troll!" Harry and Ron, who'd heard the conversation turned around, "We have to go warn them."

"Alright," Ron snapped, "But Percy better not see us." The four joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way and slipped down a deserted corridor and hurried towards the girls toilets. They had just turned the corner when they heard footsteps behind them, "Percy!" Hissed Ron, and pulled Harry behind a large stone Griffin. Yugi and Joey hid behind the one opposite. But it wasn't Percy, it was Snape. Joey emerged as Snape vanished from view. "He's heading to the third floor." Joey went to go on but Ron held up his hand.

"Can you smell something?" An absolutely vile stench assaulted their noses. Then they heard it, low grunting and the shuffling of gigantic feet. The troll emerged into moonlight, foul sight. The troll looked in one of the doors and slowly made up it's mind and entered the room.

Harry lept on the key to the door and locked it, and as the four ran back up the corridor they heard a yell and a high pitched scream. "Oh no." Yugi blanched, his face going as pale as the ghosts that lived in Hogwarts.

"It's the girl's toilets."

"Hermione!"

"Kari!" They gasped. They wheeled around with Yugi in the lead, and raced back to the toilet and unlocked the door, racing in and gasping at the sight.

A magenta eyed girl, Harry and Ron were pretty damn sure that wasn't Kari anymore, was stood in front of a petrified Hermione, a golden ball in her hand. A bright golden flash behind them caused the troll to roar and it swung it's club catching the magenta eyed girl and smashing her into a wall. The Orb rolled away and a golden flash left Kari lying on the ground. "Ombre!" Hermione screamed. Yugi…no, not Yugi anymore, ran forward as Hermione shrank back against the wall.

"Confuse it!" Harry yelled to Ron, as Yugi? distracted it. He looked puzzled as he tried something that caused his puzzle to flash golden and it didn't work. The troll stopped and went for Yugi? instead.

Joey grabbed the Orb that had rolled away and then drew his wand. It was obvious Shadow magic wasn't going to work here. It seemed to work best with complex minds, this troll seemed to have almost no brains to speak of at all. Plus the Pharaoh had just tried it and failed.

"Oi, pea – brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the room as Yami pulled Hermione out of harms way. Ron's yell caused it to turn and go for Ron, giving Yami time to get Hermione behind Harry and Joey. Yami drew his wand and wondered what to do. Ron had moved towards Kari and had caught the trolls attention again. It was getting aggravated with all the little bugs running around its feet and went after the nearest one, Joey.

Harry leapt onto the trolls back and managed to fix his arms around the trolls neck. The troll couldn't feel him hanging there, but Harry's wand had gone up it's nose and it most defiantly felt the long bit of wood up one of his nostrils.

Harry hung on for dear life as the troll nearly pulled him off more then once. Joey and Ron yelled the first spell they could think of. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club flew out of the troll's hands, rose high into the air and turned, falling and dropping onto the troll's head with a crack. The troll fell and Harry got to his feet, dusting himself off. Kari groaned and Joey rushed over and lifted her up, as she came around.

"Is it dead?" Hermione was the first to speak.

"No, just knocked out." Harry said as he retrieved his wand. "Ewww troll bogies."

A sudden slamming and footsteps made them look up. The six suddenly realised how much noise they must have been making. A moment later Professor McGonagall came bursting into the room, followed closely by Professors Snape and Quirrell. Joey was suddenly made aware he was holding Kari bridal style and let her down as Snape checked the troll. Professor McGonagall was glaring at the students. Harry wished the not–Yugi, Ron and Joey would both put their wands down. "What were you thinking?" She said, with cold fury in her voice as Joey passed Kari the Millennium Orb. "You're all lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitories?"

A small voice spoke as Kari winced as she rotated her shoulder. "Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!" Hermione had gotten to her feet at last.

"I went looking for the troll because I thought I could handle it on my own – yoou know, because I've read all about them." Kari's dazed expression turned to one of surprise, Hermione, lie to a teacher? "Kari followed me, to try to stop me, and if the boys hadn't come, we'd probably be dead. It was about to finish me when they arrived."

"Well in that case, Miss Granger, you foolish girl," McGonagall said, staring at the six of them, no eight, the two spirits had appeared, Ombre looked worse for wear. "How could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" Hermione hung her head, Ombre walked over and placed her hands on her shoulders as a show of support for the girl. Harry was speechless, Hermione was the last one to go against the rules, but here she was, lying and saying she had to get them out of trouble. "Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your severe lack of judgement. As for you seven, I say you were all lucky, not many first years could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale, five points, to each of you. Now go back to your dormitories."

"That was good of you to get us out of trouble like that." Harry said to Hermione as they walked along to the Gryffindor Common room.

"It's what friends do, isn't it?" She asked, there was a question hidden in there, like a confirmation of friendship, Yugi smiled and nodded.

"However you two, I think you have some explaining to do." Harry said, turning to Kari and Yugi. "I knew there was something up with you two, Ryou Bakura too, right?" Yugi sighed, and Joey shook his head, he'd known someone other then would Hermione found out sometime.

"What do you want to know?"


	7. Accidents and Yamis

As they entered November the weather turned very cold. Yugi and the others who were used to Japan's winter kept themselves wrapped up warm. Harry and Ron, who'd been told about the three yamis were staring out the window as Ombre came into the common room smirking. Yami trailed in after her, with an even bigger smirk. The twins rushed over, "How'd it go?"

"Alright, so no-one wins still about Mouthboy, but we got Kaiba good."

"Kaiba?" Joey spluttered, "How'd?"

"We got him." Ombre smirked, yawning and a flash of gold left Kari standing where Ombre had, Ombre was left in her spirit form. "Yeah, they got him, but if we get into trouble for it…"

A second flash of gold, leaving Yugi in control and Yami's spirit form stood in the middle of the room. "We won't, Kaiba is more likely to try to get us back then get us into trouble when he wasn't even sure which one of us it was. Twins, Harry, don't you have Quidditch practise?"

Harry started and rushed up to his dorm, after the incident with Malfoy and the Rememberall, he'd been given a place on the Quidditch team as the seeker, who had to capture the golden snitch to earn his team 150 points and end the game and with their first game of the season coming up fast, Oliver Wood had them practising almost non-stop. If it wasn't for Hermione, Harry would probably be falling behind on his work. As the twins and Harry rushed out the door, Harry called over his shoulder, "You'd better tell me what you did to Seto Kaiba when I get back."

The two yamis smiled and faded into their respective items as the two hikaris explained what had happened. Only the gang and the team had seen Harry play Quidditch as Wood was trying to kept Harry as a 'secret weapon', however the news had sneaked out somehow and Harry was forever being told either he was going to be great or someone would be there to catch him when he fell. Personally he was glad he knew now of the Millennium Orb's power to move objects, Kari could slow him down if he did fall.

Hermione had leant him 'Quidditch through the ages' as well, which was a very interesting read. He learnt that there were seven hundred ways of committing a foul in Quidditch and all of them had happened during the world cup in 1473.

Hermione was more relaxed about rule breaking since she'd been saved from the troll and she was nicer for it. The day before Harry's first match, the group were out in the grounds during lunch and Hermione had conjured them up a bright blue fire which could be carried around in a jam jar. Kaiba had followed them down yelling at Yugi and bugging Kari to recast the spell so he could use his laptop. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, with Kari and Kaiba bickering at each other because Kari wanted him to learn the spell to use it himself, and Kaiba wanted her to cast it and cast another one so he could get internet connection inside the grounds, and Kari didn't know how to do it so Kaiba was yelling at her to find out, and so it continued as Snape crossed their path, on his way back from the Forbidden Forest. Harry noticed at once that he was limping. The group moved closer together to block the view of the fire. Unfortunately Snape came over anyway, he seemed to be looking for a reason to yell at them.

"What've you got there, Potter?" It was Quidditch through the ages, Harry showed him. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape, "Give it to me, five points from Gryffindor."

"He's just made that rule up, I wonder what's wrong with his leg."

"I dunno." Yami said, appearing suddenly and scaring Harry, "I hope it's really hurting him."

"Tell you what Yami." Ombre said, appearing suddenly, scaring Hermione, "First one to Shadow Game Snape wins a day at Domino Arcade on me. First one to get Mouthboy wins an all you can eat meal on me." Yami smirked and nodded as Yugi checked his bag to see if his other Millennium Items were in his bag since Gryffindor house had been visited by a certain Tomb-robber who'd, fortunately for Yugi, stepped on Bastet's, Kari's Mau's, tail. They were and Yugi spun around, closing the bag quickly as he heard footsteps.

"I'll take those bets." They turned around suddenly and saw Bakura standing there, grinning at them. "What's wrong? Did the 'great and powerful' Pharaoh and his pitiful 'Princess' get into trouble?" He smirked. Yami growled, Yugi turned and actually grasped the Pharaoh's arm. Harry was surprised how much the boy could interact with the spirit. Kari was forced to do the same to her yami as Ombre stepped forward.

"Yeah, listen to your hikaris, I'd crush you two anyway." Ombre abruptly disappeared and Kari's eyes went blank as an internal argument took place. Yami was glaring at Bakura as the Millennium Ring glowed, Ombre reappeared, sulking. Joey drew his wand, and as a bright beam of golden light shot from the ring, Joey cast his own spell, one he'd been taught by Fred and George and the two magicks collided. Everyone was blasted backwards as the magicks exploded on contact. Harry saw everyone hitting the ground as he slammed into it himself and blacked out.

Kaiba was the first to wake up, his head hurt and his first thought was somewhere along the lines of _next time I do anything with these freaks remind me to see a psychiatrist first._ He looked around, the others were still out cold, but there were three others with them. One that looked like Yugi, one like Kari, and the other looked like Ryou Bakura. The golden items were piled up in the centre of the circle, where the fire had gone out, all bar one.

Harry opened his eyes, and sat up quickly. Were the others alright? He shook Ron and Hermione who opened their eyes sleepily and looked around. The others were all unconscious, except for Seto Kaiba. Their amulets had slipped off and their teenage forms were led on the grass. Harry was surprised, but not overly shocked, Yugi had told them about the amulets a couple of weeks ago, when Harry had caught a 17 year old Joey coming out of the bathroom. Harry quickly realised there was another girl and two other boys with them.

Hermione looked around, Ombre, Yami and Bakura were lead on the grass with their hikaris. Joey was out cold too. But there was something different about the yamis. Ron gasped, "They're solid!" He said, unsteadily getting to his feet and helping Hermione to hers, as Kaiba stood up.

Yami stirred, looking around. What had happened? He looked at the boy led next him, was it…? _No, it can't be._ He thought, shaking the boy next to him. Violet eyes looked at him as they slowly opened, "Yugi?" Yami asked, not quite sure of what he was seeing.

"Yami?" Yugi squeaked and Yami nodded. "How?" Joey stirred as the two boys got to their feet.

"It must have been when we were caught up in the explosion of magic." Yami said, helping Yugi help Joey to his feet. "Are you alright Joey?"

"Nope," Joey said, as he looked at them, "I'm seeing double." Two teens looked back at him, they were very similar. The second teen's eyes were crimson and not quite as large as Yugi's and he had blonde streaks in his hair but other then that. Yugi looked at Yami and then laughed. "You're not seeing double Joey, that magical explosion somehow gave Yami his own body."

Ryou groaned and sat up, moving as far a way from the boy next to him as possible. They both the same hair and eyes, though one's hair was more unruly. He looked over to Yugi, Yami and Joey. "How…? Then…" The boy next to him awoke and looked around.

"What in Ra's name?" He growled, looking at Ryou. Then he looked at Yami, "What did you do Pharaoh?"

"It's your fault for trying to attack us with shadow magic." Yami growled, he looked at the two still unconscious, no just one, as Ombre opened her eyes, and sat up. "What in Ra's name?" She groaned, then saw Kari, she shook the girl, "Kari! Kari!" Kari groaned and as she saw what had happened she repeated her yamis comment. The two girls looked at each other,

"Ombre?" The teen asked, still slightly stunned by the magical blast. "How? The explosion?" Ombre nodded and helped Kari to her feet, Ombre turned to Yami and bowed before helping Kari over to the others. "You baka Tomb-robber!" She yelled, turning on the thief who'd just reached the pile of Millennium Items, Yugi's Puzzle was around his neck but the others were led on the ground. Ombre tackled him to the ground. Kari rushed forward and grabbed the Millennium Items as Ombre and Bakura wrestled, separating them by using the Millennium Rod. She picked the Orb out of the pile she held and passed the others to Yugi who looked through. There was one item missing, but a new one in its place. Yami looked up and saw the Millennium Ring hanging around Bakura's neck.

Yugi tossed Yami the Puzzle and he caught it and he and Ombre faced down the tomb-robber. They were about to start fighting again as Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall rushed onto the scene, drawn here by the explosion of magic. "What's going on here?" The headmaster said, stalling any fight that was about to start. Professor McGonagall stared at the three yamis. "Mr Potter, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, Mr Kaiba, Mr Wheeler, get back to class, you're late for last period, Mr Muto, Mr Bakura, Miss Ironhide, Pharaoh, Princess…" He didn't know what to call the tomb-robber.

"Bakura."

"…Bakura, follow me."

"Why should I?" Bakura growled, the headmaster glared at him as the others headed back to class, the look was enough to silence Bakura. Yami gulped, as nice and polite as Professor Dumbledore was, he wouldn't like to cross him. That look was enough to scare, probably, even Marik.

The six followed Dumbledore up to his office, where they stood opposite his desk. "It seems we have a problem, since your other halves have been given bodies, they will have to be sorted. What are you going to do about your Millennium Items?"

"Well, I'll take them off your hands if you don't want them, Pharaoh…"

"Don't even think about it tomb-robber!" Yami growled, Bakura smirked. "We'll be keeping the Puzzle with us. I'm guessing Ombre and Kari will be keeping the Orb. The Eye, the Rod, the Necklace, and the…"

"The Millennium Ring is mine by rights, Pharaoh, you can't have it."

"I guess the Ring will stay with Bakura, the other three will stay with us." Yami said, glaring at Bakura who smirked back at him.

"Yami, you can keep the Millennium Puzzle if you like." Yugi said, quietly, looking up at his yami. Yami realised he was still holding it.

"No Yugi. I trust you with it." He said, passing it back to Yugi, who put it on, smiling at Yami. Kari turned to Ombre, taking off the Orb as she did so.

"No, Kari." Ombre said, grabbing the girl's arms and pushing them back down, the Millennium Orb falling back into place, hanging just above her solar plexus. "You keep it." Kari smiled weakly.

"You're welcome to it!"

"You're not having the Ring!" Ryou then Bakura, simultaneously spoke. Dumbledore took the sorting hat off the shelf and turned back to the six, five of which were glaring at the tomb-robber.

"Who's going first?" Bakura stepped forward, scowling at his hikari.

"Let's get this over with!" He jammed the hat on his head.

' _My, my, you're the one who rested inside of the innocent boy I put in Hufflepuff. You are thirsty for power, unafraid to harm those around you to get what you want, you have a horrible past and your present isn't much better. There's only one place for someone like you…'_ "Slytherin." The hat spoke aloud. Ryou blanched, it wasn't a surprise but only dark wizards came out of Slytherin and while they didn't like Bakura, this meant he'd be in the same house as Malfoy and he didn't trust him not to tell the boy everything.

Yami and Ombre growled, shielding their hikaris from the tomb-robber. Bakura gave them an evil smirk as Professor Dumbledore summoned Professor Snape to his office. He entered and stared at the scene in front of him.

"Ah Serverus, Mr Bakura…" Bakura thought for a second,

"Just Bakura."

"You'll have to come up with another name," He sighed, "Mr Bakura will be joining your house." Dumbledore said, Snape looked Bakura over and nodded. "Follow me then."

"One minute Bakura," Dumbledore called, picking up a black version of the amulet the hikaris wore. Bakura put it on, turning into an eleven year old version of himself and scowling as he followed a limping Snape out.

As the door slammed Ombre and Yami looked at each other. "Ladies first." Yami said, unsure if he wanted to be sorted in case he ended up in a different house to Yugi.

Ombre nodded and placed the hat on her head. She closed her eyes and the hat spoke.

' _Ah the other half to the only girl I've ever met with two minds. You're a lot like your light, smart and clever_ _but very loyal to your friends and your hikari. You're not as impulsive as your light, but no less brave. You have secrets in your past, but not the sort of secrets the Tomb-robber had. I believe the right place for you is…'_ "Gryffindor."Kari smiled as Ombre walked over to her, and pushed Yami towards the hat. Who put it on nervously.

' _Pharaoh…You haven't always been a nice person have you? There are dark secrets in your past, secrets that you will learn in time. You are brave and unafraid to do what needs to be done, holding back because of your other half. I believe you should be in…'_

" _Not Slytherin!"_ Yami thought desperately, _"Anywhere but Slytherin."_

' _Not Slytherin eh, but Slytherin would help you get your memories back quicker, you'd never have to hold back again.'_

" _Not Slytherin!"_

' _Alright, alright, you are brave and can be kind to those who you trust and care for, you are strong and powerful, and courageous, if not Slytherin then…'_ "Gryffindor."Yami sighed in relief and smiled at his hikari as he took off the hat. Dumbledore turned to Ryou, who was smiling, then took the hat from Yami's hands and passed Yami and Ombre two more black amulets, which they put on. "Well, you're all too late to go to last class, it will be best if you just head back to your houses. Go on, dinner won't be served until later, so go on up." The five all headed back to their houses. Ryou spilt up with them as they reached the Hufflepuff portrait.

The common room was noisy as Yugi, Yami, Kari and Ombre came into the common room. The noise died down as they walked over to where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sat, next to a window. The twins wondered over to them, "Hey Yugi." Fred called, halfway across the room, "Who's the new kids?"

"Our twins," Kari lied. "They've been abroad and couldn't make the first couple of months of school. But they've been sorted into Gryffindor." It looked plausible, Yami and Ombre both had deep tans possibly leftover from their days in Egypt, luckily copies of the clothes the hikaris had been wearing, had formed but in the yamis sizes when their bodies had.

"What's their names?" George asked, as they reached the group.

"I'm Yami Muto." Yami said, nodding to the twins.

"The name's Ombre Ironhide." Ombre said, flashing the twins a smile.

"We're Fred and George Weasley." Fred said, smiling back at Ombre. "Nice to meet you."

"And you." Professor McGonagall swept into the common room and pushed the yamis to the dorms, where they had to work out where they would bunk. Yugi sighed, and the twins smirked.

"Another two sets of twins around the place could make this interesting." George said and took off out of the portrait. Yugi and Kari explained as everyone went back to what they were doing. Harry was restless, he wanted his book back. When he got up and told them he was going to ask Snape if he could have his book back, Kari blanched and Ron said, "Rather you then me, mate."

Harry made his way to the staffroom. He knocked and got no answer, he peered inside and got a shock. Snape and Filch were inside alone, Snape was holding his robes above his knee. One of his legs was bloody and mangled, Filch was holding bandages and passing them to Snape. "Blasted thing," Snape was saying, "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?" Harry tried to shut the door quietly but…"POTTER!" Snape looked furious as Harry gulped, Snape dropped his robes to hide his leg.

"I was wondering if I could have my book back."

"GET OUT! OUT!" Harry left before Snape could take nay more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs.

"Did you get it?" Ron asked, as Harry joined the group sprawled over the chairs and the sofa by the fire. Harry hadn't yet got used to the idea of the yamis with their own bodies and was surprised at the ease of which the hikaris had settled into this new way from sharing bodies with them to actually being able to see them without them being see through and being able to touch them. Yami was sat on the sofa with Yugi leant into him, Ombre and Kari were sat in on chair, yes on chair, they were rather squashed but it worked. Harry shook his head and explained what he'd seen.

In exchange for them being told about the yamis and the amulets, Harry, Ron and Hermione had told them their suspicions about the package in the vault. "You know what this means?" He finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past the three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him – he's after whatever it's guarding!"

"I bet he let the troll in," Yami said, "To create a diversion!"

Hermione's eyes were wide, "No – He wouldn't," She said, "I know he's not very nice but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Honestly Hermione, you think all the teachers are saints or something," Snapped Ron, "I'm with Harry and Yami. I wouldn't put anything past Snape, but what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question, Neville had been moved out and Yami had been given robes, though he and Ombre would have to go to Diagon Alley to pick up a wand and things on Sunday morning. Joey was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep anyway. He tired to empty his mind – he needed his sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.


	8. Qudditch and a Return to Diagon Alley

The next morning dawned very bright and very cold. The Great Hall was full of the smell of fried sausages and the chatter of those looking forward to a good Quidditch match.

"You've got to eat some breakfast." Kari said, through a mouthful of sausage.

"I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast." Yugi waved a bit under his nose.

"I'm not hungry" Harry waved it away. He felt terrible, in an hour's time he'd be walking on the pitch.

"Harry, you need your strength." Seamus Finnigan said. "Seekers are always the ones who get nobbled by the other team."

"Thanks Seamus." Harry said, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats were raised high in the air but it was still difficult for them to see what was going on sometimes.

Ron, Hermione, Yugi, Yami, Joey, Kari, Ombre and Ryou joined Neville, Seamus and Dean up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry; they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined in his attempt to hide from Bastet the one time the Mau had chased him. It said "Potter for President" and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Kari has watched while Hermione had performed a tricky little charm that caused the paint to flash.

Kari watched closely as the team filed out, Harry looked nervous. The crowd went wild.

Harry saw Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the pitch, waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand, "Now I want a nice clean game, from all of you." Harry noticed she was mostly talking to the Slytherin team. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing 'Potter for President' over the crowd. His heart skipped, he felt braver. "Mount your brooms please." Harry mounted his Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and fifteen brooms rose into the air. They were off.

Kari lost track of the commentary as she kept track of the Quaffle. "Budge up there! Move along!"

"Hagrid!" Ron and Hermione squeezed together to make enough room for Hagrid.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," Hagrid said, patting a large pair of binoculars round his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron, "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though that's somethin'." Said Hagrid, raising his binocluars and peering upwards at the speck that was Harry. Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for any sign of the Snitch.

Kari kept track of the game, Millennium Orb in hand in case anyone fell. Ombre stayed close, her concentration was sliced through by a single line. "- wait a moment – was that the Snitch?" A murmur ran through the crowd and Harry saw it, and dived downward. The Slytherin seeker saw it too but Harry was slightly faster. Pulling ahead of the opposition Harry put on an extra burst of speed…

WHAM! A roar of rage from the Gryffindors below, Marcus Flint had blocked Harry's broom on purpose and Harry was hanging on for dear life with his broom spinning out of control. "FOUL!" The Gryffindor's screamed.

Madam Hooch gave Gryffindor a free shot at the goal posts but the damage was done, the Golden Snitch had vanished again. Down in the stands, Dean Tomas and Kari were yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red Card!"

"This isn't football, guys." Ron reminded them, "You can't send people off in Quidditch – and what's a red card?"

The commentator, Lee Jordan, was finding it hard not to be biased.

"So – after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating…"

"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall growled.

"I mean after that open and revolting foul…"

"Jordan, I'm warning you…"

"Alright, alright, Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure. So a penalty to Gryffindor which Spinnet puts away, no trouble, and we continue play with Gryffindor still in possession."

Yugi gasped and pointed upwards towards, Yami looked up and saw Harry was having trouble with his broom. Kari gasped and gripped her Millennium Orb so tightly her knuckles went white. Harry's broom gave a wild jerk and Harry swung off it, Kari's Millennium Item glowed as she tried to give him magical support but she was thrown backwards by a sudden dark purple glow.

Kari gasped and sat up, supported by Ombre, "Did something happen to it when Flint tackled him?" Dean asked.

"Can't have." Hagrid said, his voice shaking, "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful dark magic – no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's glasses, but instead of looking at Harry she was looking at the stands, frantically. "What are you doing?"

"A student couldn't stop a Millennium Item either…I knew it!" Hermione gasped, "Snape – look!"

Ron grabbed the binoculars, Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry ad was muttering non-stop under his breath.

"He's doing something – jinxing the broom." Said Hermione.

"What should we do?" Ryou asked.

"Leave it to me." Hermione said, disappearing. Ron and the others turned back to Harry who couldn't hang on much longer. The Weasleys flew up to try to pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms but every time they got close his broom would jump higher. They dropped lower and circled, ready to catch him. Kari and Yugi joined forces, ready to use their magic to help if they needed to.

"Come on Hermione." Ron whispered desperately.

Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape was stood and was racing along the row behind him, not even stopping to apologise to Professor Quirrell when she knocked him over. Reaching Snape she drew her wand and spoke a few well chosen words. Blue flames shot out of her wand and onto the hem of Snape's robes.

It took about 30 seconds for him to realise his cloak was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she'd done her job. Scooping the fire off him into the jar in her pocket she scrambled back along the row – Snape would never know what had happened.

It was enough, up in the air, Harry had been able to clamber back onto his broom. "Neville, you can look!" Ron said, as Harry sped towards the ground, he'd caught a second sight of the snitch, he levelled off and leaned forward, praying he could grab it he fell forward and the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick – he hit the pitch on all fours – coughed and something gold fell into his hand.

"I've got the Snitch!" Harry yelled. The game ended in complete confusion.

"He didn't catch the Snitch! HE NEARLY SWALLOWED IT!" Flint was still howling twenty full minutes later. Harry and the others didn't hear it though; they were heading off towards Hagrid's hut. "It was Snape!" Ron explained, "He was jinxing the broom, muttering under his breath and not breaking eye contact, whatever he was doing also effected the Mill..!" Ron was about to add more but stopped suddenly as he remembered Hagrid didn't know.

"Rubbish!" Hagrid said, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on in the stands below him, or seen Kari thrown backwards by dark energy. "Why would Snape do something like that?"

"I dunno. Why was he trying to get past that three headed dog on Halloween?" Joey quite reasonably asked. "We think he was trying to steal whatever it is guarding." Hagrid dropped the teapot.

"How do you know about Fluffy?"

"Fluffy? That thing has a name?" Hermione gasped.

"Yeah, he's mine. Bought from a Greek chappie I met in the pub last year, then I leant him to Dumbledore to guard the…"

"Yes?" Harry asked, eagerly.

"No more questions, don't ask any more questions." Hagrid said, gruffly.

"But Snape's trying to steal it!" This was from Yugi who'd stayed out of the conversation until now.

"Rubbish," Hagrid said again, "Snape is a Hogwarts Teacher, he'd do nothing of the sort!"

"So why did he just try to kill Harry?" Yami asked. Hermione nodded, this afternoon's events had changed her mind about Snape.

"I know a jinx when I see one Hagrid, I've seen…read all about them!" Ombre changed what she was about to say, "You have to maintain eye contact and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I'm telling yeh, yer wrong!" Said Hagrid hotly. "I don't know why Harry's broom acted like it did, but Snape wouldn't try to kill a student! Now, listen to me, you forget about that dog and what it's guarding, it's dangerous. What's it's guarding is between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel."

"Aha!" Harry said, "So there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved is there?"

Hagrid looked like he could have kicked himself.

* * *

Yami woke up earlier then Yugi then next morning. The first time sine they'd been bonded. He looked around the dorm. Yugi was still asleep, Joey hadn't stopped snoring…there had to be a way of fixing it so he didn't sound like a pipe organ, Harry and Ron were up already, Ron was probably watching Harry at Quidditch practise. Yami had been surprised Wood had called a practise today after their match yesterday, but he was dedicated to the game. Yami got out of bed, shivered and got back into bed. _I'm not getting up yet. Not until it warms up!_

Yugi stirred and opened his eyes, then looking around the room he got to Yami and grinned. Yami was pretending to be asleep so he could avoid getting out of bed. Trying to hold the mind link so Yami thought he was still asleep he crept out of bed and jumped on Yami, scaring the living daylights out of him. The noise woke Joey who fell out of bed onto the cold, hard floor. "Ouch!"

Yugi apologised and the three of them got up and dressed. Yugi was suddenly aware Yami only had school robes and a copy of the clothes Yugi had been wearing underneath, as the Pharaoh got out of bed, no bedclothes. No wonder he'd been so cold! Yugi blushed and Joey desperately tried to keep a straight face as they got dressed. As Yami left ahead of them Joey smirked and whispered to Yugi. "Hey Yuge, I think you should take him clothes shopping today too."

Kari and Ombre were already down in the Great Hall eating. Bakura was smirking as he swaggered over to the Slytherin table and sat down next to Mouthboy. Bakura wouldn't need his hikari for this trip, since Ryou no linger owned the Millennium Ring. They didn't even know if their souls were still bound to their items. Kari and Ombre finished first and headed outside, Kari waited by the entrance and Ombre saw how far she could walk, she didn't even get half way to Hagrid's hut before the Millennium Orb called her back. Obviously yes, they were. They waited inside the entrance hall for the others, not having to wait too much longer for Yugi and Yami but forced to wait for another hour for Bakura to finish his breakfast.

"Why don't you just wear your Millennium Items for today and give them back to your pathetic hikaris when you get back?" He sneered. Yami and Ombre glared at him, while Yugi looked offended and Kari settled for poking her tongue out at him. Professor Dumbledore arrived promptly after Bakura and led them to his office, where he took a pot off the shelf and threw some of the green powder that was inside, onto the fire. "Floo powder, quite effective. Just chuck it in, step into the fire and say the name of the place you want to go. If you will Mr Muto's." Yami and Yugi stepped forward. Yugi took a hand full and threw it in the fire, "Diagon Alley!" Yami said clearly and the two vanished. Kari and Ombre followed, finally ending with Dumbledore and Bakura. The latter of which spilt from the group the moment he found out what time he had to go back.

Yugi led Yami straight to the pet shop, checking he had plenty of money on him first. Kari led Ombre to Madam Malkins. The four of them met Professor Dumbledore outside Ollivanders at 2 pm, laden with bags, magical supplies, wizard clothes, muggle clothes, pet carriers… and pushed the door open.

Bakura was already inside, looking more like he was having fun wreaking the place then actually trying to get his wand. "Ah Professor Dumbledore." Ollivander said, pulling out an bronze box with hieroglyphs on it and passing the wand to Bakura, "10 inch bronze and chimera venom.", who waved it and was actually disappointed to see it work as a ghostly chimera shot out the end, though he was happy when it tried to attack Yami even though it wasn't real.

"I can see your students now, Professor." Ollivander said, "Come on Pharaoh." He said, calling Yami over who looked at him in shock. "Don't be surprised, I know who everyone is, Mr Yami Muto, or Pharaoh." The tape measure started. "Wand arm please, sir." Yami held out his right arm, which was duly measured. "Now lets see," Thirty wands later, "I should have know to try one of these right off the bat." Ollivander murmured to himself, as his newly repaired window was destroyed again, pulling off the only other gold box on the shelves. "This is the partner to Mr Muto over there's wand, 10 inch gold and shadow's claw."

_Shadow's claw?_ Yami thought but took the wand anyway, he swished it and a giant beast appeared, Yami wasn't sure what it was but it seemed familiar, as it faded away. Ollivander turned to Ombre looked at her and nodded, "Wand arm please, Princess." Ombre stuck out her left arm.

Ollivander looked around for the right wand, finally his eyes rested on the right box, silver with Egyptian markings, "I'd like you to try this one first, 12 inch, silver and fur from the mane of a sphinx." Ombre's eyes flashed at the item in her wand, "Taken from the same sphinx that gave the wing feather in Miss Ironhide's wand." Ombre waved it nervously and to her surprise a huge sphinx leapt from her wand, vanishing as it hit the ground. " I knew it!" Ollivander smirked. They paid for their wands. Yugi and Yami just had to hit one more shop, returning in seconds and then the group made their way back to Hogwarts the way them came.

Yami and Ombre showed off their wands to Harry, Ron and Hermione as they sat around the fire in the common room. Hermione was more interested in their history, finding out if the wands came from Yami and Ombre's time or later. Yami's and Kari's cats were hissing at each other most of the night. Yami had gotten a black Norwegian Forest cat, Ombre had gotten an owl, but Bakura had gotten a raven, something that didn't surprise them when they learnt that ravens were attracted to anything shiny. They left her thinking about it as they headed up to bed.


	9. Christmas Begins

Christmas approached fast. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts awoke to find several feet of snow covering the ground. The lake froze over, giving Kari a chance to go ice skating for the first time this year. The Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban and Yami's owl had to be nursed back to health when it arrived back with all of Yami's Christmas presents to everyone.

No-one could wait for the holidays to start. While the common rooms and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the corridors and classrooms were freezing cold. Worst of all were Snape's potions classes, where the group would often gather around their cauldrons to try to keep warm, as their breath rose as mist.

"I feel so sorry," Said Draco Mouthboy, one potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled, Bakura smirked. Harry, who was helping Ron measure out potions, ignored them. Kari blew a raspberry at him and Ombre grinned. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant towards the group since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that Slytherin had lost, he had tried to get everyone to laugh at Harry's flying in the Quidditch match, however since that had failed he'd gone back to making fun of Harry's family.

It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come round the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up right away. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying too, as well as Yugi, Yami, Kari, Ombre, Joey and Ryou.

When they left the dungeons at the end of potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out the bottom and a loud puffing told them that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi Hagrid!" Joey said, sticking his head through the branches, "You want any help?"

"Nah, I'm alright thanks Joey."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" Came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them.

"What's the matter Wheeler, trying to earn some of the money you owe Kari?" Bakura asked, smirking, "After all, doesn't your father drink…" He never got to finish the sentence as Joey attacked him, unfortunately Yami and Ombre didn't pull him off fast enough as Snape saw what was going on.

"WHEELER!" Joey let Yami and Ombre pull him off.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape." Said Hagrid, sticking his face out from behind the tree. "Bakura was insulting his family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid." Snape said, silkily, "Five points from Gryffindor, Wheeler, and be glad it isn't more. Move along, all of you." Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Bakura pushed their way past the tree, smirking broadly.

"I'll get him," Joey growled, "One of these days I'll get him…"

"I hate all three of them, Snape, Malfoy and Bakura." Harry said, glaring at the four boy's retreating backs. "At least Bakura isn't staying here over Christmas…wait where's he going? He can't go back to your place, Ryou."

"If you'd believe it, Mouthboy's taken him in for Christmas because he comes from a pure blood family, not true I know but he hasn't told Mouthboy everything yet." Ryou sighed.

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas." Hagrid cut in, "Tell ya what, come see the Great Hall, looks a treat." The group followed Hagrid into the Great Hall, where Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations. The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls and no fewer then twelve Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with icicles, others with hundreds of tiny candles.

"How many days you got left until your holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," said Hermione, "And that reminds me guys, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"The library? Just before the holidays, bit keen, aren't ya?" Hagrid asked.

"Oh we're not working," Yugi told him brightly, "We're trying to find out who Nicholas Flamel is."

"YOU WHAT? Listen here, I've told ya, just drop it. It's nothing to do with you, what that dog is guarding."

"We just want to know who Nicholas Flamel is, that's all." Hermione said, turning to go.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble." Harry added, "I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm not saying anything." Hagrid said flatly.

"We'll just have to find out for ourselves then." Said Ron and the group turned and went up to the library. Unsurprisingly they found Seto Kaiba sat at a desk, on his own, with his laptop, also unsurprisingly he was going back to Domino to do work within his company over the holidays. Kaiba seemed to have a holier-then-thou expression on his face once he realised who they were looking for, driving Yami up the wall to the point where he had to leave the library and go calm down. Yugi sighed, it didn't matter if he had his own body or not, Yami still hated Kaiba, and the thought that Kaiba might have one over on him drove the Pharaoh up the wall.

It didn't matter though, even without Yami they still checked way too many books, to the point where Joey complained all he could see was text. Hermione looked around; Harry had wandered off to the restricted section. He'd been wondering if Flamel was somewhere in there, but he didn't have a teacher's note to look inside one of the restricted books and was sure he wouldn't get one. Harry managed to get himself kicked out and five minutes later the others joined him. As they walked down to dinner Hermione turned to the group, "You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" She asked, "And send me an owl if you find anything?"

"You could always ask your parents, that would be safe."

"Very safe, they're both dentists."

* * *

Once the holidays started, the gang were having too much fun to consider looking. Without anyone else in the dorms, and the common room empty most of the time, the entire room became a duelling arena, normally pitting yami against hikari, with desk they'd created just to play each other, each match normally ending when meal times came up. It didn't seem to matter how many times they played each other, neither could beat the other. The Fat Lady who guarded the portrait was annoyed quite a few times when Ryou was allowed to come into the Gryffindor tower to join his friends.

When it fell dark they'd often grab the best armchairs round the fire, though sometimes they had to share chairs, and toasted anything that was edible that would go on a toasting fork, and plotting ways of either expelling or Shadow Gaming Malfoy, which were fun to talk about, even if half of them wouldn't work.

While Kari was teaching Ombre how to ice skate, and Yugi, Yami, Ryou and Joey were duelling, Ron also started teaching Harry how to play wizard chess. Yami was interested and watched, as Ron taught him the rules. It was almost exactly like muggle chess but the pieces were alive. Ron's set of pieces was very old and battered, an advantage in this game as he knew the pieces so well they did everything he asked. However the set Harry had borrowed from Seamus we're as reliable as they kept shouting advice to him.

On Christmas eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the food and fun, but not expecting any gifts at all, so it was a surprise when Yugi woke him up by pulling his covers off his bed, to see a mound of presents at the foot of his bed. "Yugi!" Harry groaned as he sat up, the small teen…teen..?

"Yugi, put on your amulet!" Yami groaned as his over excited hikari nearly bounced down the stairs with his presents without it. "Merry Christmas!" Yugi yelled at the top of his voice, startling Joey from his bed, where he'd been trying to go back to sleep, then dashing down the stairs before Joey could catch him and his presents.

They took their presents down stairs, where the girls were waiting by the fire and opened them, finally getting Yugi to stand still long enough for them all to settle. Harry's second parcel made Kari choke back an outraged remark, "We received your message and enclose your present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia." There was a fifty pence piece sellotaped to the card.

"That's friendly." Harry and Ombre said at the same time. Ron was fascinated by the 50p.

"Weird. What a shape! This is money?"

"Keep it." Harry laughed then opened another present, it was a Weasley jumper in emerald green and a box of fudge. His next present contained sweets too, Chocolate frogs from Hermione. He opened all the gifts and had just one left as the others finished opening theirs, something silver and fluid fell to the floor. It was a cloak and Harry tried it on.

"I've heard of those, it's an invisibility cloak, they're very rare though." Yami snatched a note off the ground,

' _Your father left this in my possession before he died._

_It is time it was returned to you._

_Use it well._

_A very Merry Christmas to you.'_

There was no signature, and Ron was enviously eyeing up the cloak, "What I wouldn't give for one of those, just don't let Bakura know you have one, or you'll have to take it every where with you like Yugi and the Millennium Items."

Before they could say anything else the twins bounced down the stairs and Harry hid the cloak, "Merry Christmas!"

"Hey look, they all have Weasley sweaters too, even Kari and Ombre." The twin proceeded to bug Percy, until they frog-marched him out of the room and Yugi watched them go, laughing.


	10. Mirror of Erised

Harry watched as Joey stacked his plate high at dinner, not that he could blame him. He'd never seen a Christmas dinner like it. The food was phenomenal, and every few feet along the table was a stack of wizard crackers, which blew the muggle ones out of the water. Harry pulled a cracker with George and it didn't just go bang, it sounded like cannon fire and enveloped the table in blue smoke, while from the inside ran several live white mice.

On the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his wizard hat for a flowered bonnet from another cracker, and was laughing at a joke told by one of the Professors.

The yamis were experimenting with the Christmas dinner, having never tasted one before and they weren't too sure what to make of the flaming desert, in which was a silver sickle, which Percy nearly broke a tooth on. Harry watched as the teachers got redder and redder and Hagrid finally kissed Professor McGonagall, who giggled. He had a feeling, since the group from Japan were being supplied with drinks separately, and Yugi and Kari were getting sillier and sillier, that the older students were being provided with alcohol too.

When Harry finally left the table, he was laden with prizes from the crackers, however he had a feeling, after seeing Bastet walking past licking her lips, that the mice had become a Christmas meal for the Egyptian Mau. Yami and Ombre were helping Yugi and Kari upstairs as he passed and they smiled at him as he raced back past them on his way back down.

Harry and the gang, including the twins, who'd become honorary members since their help in pranking Kaiba, had a massive snowball fight, though Kari elected to watch rather then join in. Then, cold and wet, they returned to the common room where Harry broke in a chess set he'd gotten in the crackers by getting stomped heavily by Ron, and then Yami.

Yugi and Kari could be seen trying to duel each other and not getting very far before the two of them had an idea and vanished, with the twins and their decks, for the rest of the day, coming back just before tea with non-alcoholic drinks.

After tea, no one wanted to do much before bed, settling for duelling and watching Percy chase the twins round the common room because they'd stolen his prefect badge. Not until Harry had gotten to bed, did his mind settle on the invisibility cloak.

* * *

Ombre awoke as someone rushed back into the common room, long after the curfew. It was Harry who pulled off his invisibility cloak and stopped as he realised Ombre and Kari were still in the common room. He came over, "Ombre, wake Kari up, she's got to see this."

Seven people snuck back out of the common room, though it was hard fitting five people under the invisibility cloak, while Kari and Ombre used their Orb to hide themselves in the shadows, keeping one hand on the cloak while making their way slowly towards the mirror room, trying to make sure nothing showed through the cloak.

They pushed the door open and Harry dropped the cloak and ran to the mirror. There they were, his mother and father, smiling at him. "You see?" He asked Ron, who shook his head.

"I can't see anything." He said as the rest of the group walked over to the mirror. "I can only see you."

"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am!" Harry stepped aside and his parents vanished, all he could see was Ron in his pyjamas. Ron though was staring.

"Look at me!"

"Can you see your family?"

"No, I'm alone, but I'm different, I look older, and I'm Head Boy!"

"What?" Yugi gasped, he too could only see Ron in his pyjamas.

"I am, I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to…and I'm holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup, I'm Quidditch Captain too!" Ron turned excitedly to Harry, "Do you think this mirror shows the future?"

"How can it? My parents are…"

"My turn!" Joey said, and Ron got out of the way. Tears filled up in Joey's eyes and Yugi looked at him concerned.

"You alright Joey?" Joey nodded and backed away slowly, unwilling to tear his eyes away. Yami stepped forward, Ombre was keeping an eye on the door, Yugi was talking quietly to Joey, whose encounter with the mirror had shocked the teen.

"Ombre…I think you should see this…" Yami said, unable to move away from the mirror. Kari took Ombre's place at the door and Ombre came over. Yami looked in the mirror, he was dressed in Ancient Egyptian clothes, with images of him and Ombre or him on his own flashing up in the background. He recognised a couple of them as recovered memories or glimpses into the past that Isuzu had shown him, others he didn't recognise at all.

Yugi mentally budged him and Yami opened the link to allow Yugi to see what he was seeing, he heard Yugi's gasp, "Your memories, the ones that have been erased!" Yugi spoke softly, with the school as quiet as it was, everyone heard what he said. Yami smiled sadly then allowed Ombre to stand in front of the mirror, contemplating what he'd seen, quietly.

Ombre opened her mind link straight away, and Kari saw that Ombre, too, was dressed as Ancient Egyptian Royalty, with flashes of images from her memories in the background. Kari walked over to her yami's side and as Ombre moved away from the mirror, Kari turned to follow but froze as an image was shown that made her reach for the mirror, and tears to well up once her hands touched the cold mirror… "Rai…" She whispered as the tears flowed, Ombre looked through their mind link and saw Kari and Ombre, Yugi and Yami, Joey and a teen she'd only ever seen in her hikari's memories, her twin brother, Rai. Ombre put her arms around the hikari and led her away so Yugi could take his turn.

Yugi stood where the others had, and looked in the mirror, Yugi's eyes filled with tears, and he reached for the mirror, "Mum…Dad…" He spoke in Japanese, but Joey understood, as did Yami, who came out of his thoughts and moved behind his hikari, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders. Yugi clung to him, without taking his eyes from the mirror. Joey walked over to Harry and Ron who was wondering what was going on, what Yugi saw that upset him so much.

"Yugi's parents have been missing for over four years, they're archaeologists, and went missing on a dig in Egypt." Joey said quietly, they were all startled by a noise in the corridor outside, and they just flung the cloak back on in time as Miss Norris stuck her head round the door. They stood stock still, especially Kari and Ombre who weren't sure if Shadow Magic worked on cats.

"This isn't safe. She might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on!" Yami said, leading them out the room, though he'd have liked to stay in the mirror room longer.

* * *

The snow still hadn't melted next morning.

"Want to play chess, Harry?" Ron asked.

"No."

"Hey Yuge, wanna duel?" Joey asked, Yugi just stared out the window.

"Why don't we go down to Hagrid's?" Ron tried again.

"No…you go."

"I know what you're thinking Harry, you're thinking about that mirror. Don't go back tonight." Harry wasn't the only listless one, Yugi was staring blankly out the window, and wouldn't reply to even Yami's mental banter, while Kari had grabbed her ice skates and hadn't come off of the frozen lake since she'd gotten up, ignoring Ombre who watched her hikari skating around and around, not really concentrating on the skating, but lost in her own little world, and ignoring Ombre's attempts at getting her to talk over the mind link about it.

"Why not?" Harry asked, staring at Ron. Ron tried to make a convincing argument but Harry had already made up his mind, he was going to see his parents in the mirror again and no-one was going to stop him.

By the fourth night he knew his way to the mirror room blindfolded, not that he tested that theory. As he stood in front of the mirror he saw his family, his mother and father, and his grandparents. There was no reason he couldn't stay here all night except…

"Back again, Harry? Yugi and Kari have returned here too." Harry turned slowly, his insides feeling as cold as the ice Kari hadn't left except to sleep since Boxing Day. Sat on on of the desks by the wall was the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, himself. Harry realised he must have walked past him in his rush to get to the mirror. "So, you and your friends, like so many before you have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I hope you've realised by now what it does."

"Well it shows me with my family…"

"And your friend Ron, as Head Boy."

"How did you..?"

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible. Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" Harry shook his head. "Let me explain, the happiest man on Earth would be able to use the mirror like any other mirror, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"

Harry thought, then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want… whatever we want..."

"Yes and no," Dumbledore said quietly, "It shows us nothing more or nothing less then the deepest and most desperate desires of our hearts. You, who have never known your family see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. Joseph Wheeler, whose family was spilt up when he was small, sees them back together again, back with his sister. The Pharaoh and the Princess, who can't remember their past, both saw flashes of memories from ancient times. Kari Ironhide lost her brother four years ago, and blames herself, so she saw Rai standing beside her and all her new friends. While Yugi Muto's parent's have been missing for four years, sees them returned to him, safe and sound. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away in front of it, even gone mad. The mirror will go to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I must ask you, not to go looking for it again. It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live. And I will be telling Mr Muto and Miss Ironhide that too, they will be here later. Now why don't you put your cloak on and go back to bed?"

Harry stood up. "One question, Sir, Professor Dumbledore, if I may?"

"You've just done so, however, you may ask another." Dumbledore smiled.

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick woollen socks." Harry stared, "One can never have enough socks. Another Christmas has come and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

It was only when Harry got back to bed, he realised that Professor Dumbledore had been less then honest. But then, he thought as he shoved Scabbers off his bed, it had been quite a personal question.


	11. Nicholas Flamel

Hermione returned the day before term started and landed Kari and Yugi in trouble with their yamis when she started yelling at them for being out of bed, roaming the school four nights in a row. She was torn between horror that the three of them had broken the rules and disappointment that they hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.

They had given up hope of ever finding Nicolas Flamel in any library book, even though Harry was sure he'd read the name somewhere. Once term started they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks, though Harry had even less time then the others, because Quidditch practise had started again.

Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow didn't dampen his spirits.

The group were sat in the Great Hall, duelling, talking and eating all their chocolate frogs as a very soggy Harry returned from Quidditch practise with a face like thunder. "What's wrong, Harry?" Ombre asked, looking up from her duel with Yami. "You look pissed off."

In a low voice Harry told the group about what he'd heard at Quidditch practise. The Professor Snape would be refereeing the next match.

"But that's not fair!" Kari growled, "He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin!"

"Don't play." Yugi said, worried.

"Say you're ill." Yami said, taking his eyes off the duel.

"Pretend to break your leg." Ombre and Hermione suggested at the same time.

"Really break your leg." Joey suggested, earning him an odd look from the entire group.

"I can't," Harry groaned, "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all." At that moment Neville toppled onto the their bench, knocking Yugi, who knocked their pile of chocolate frog cards all over the floor, with a couple landing under the Ravenclaw table where Kaiba was working on his laptop again, finally having worked out what spell Kari had been using to get his laptop to work inside Hogwarts.

Hermione quickly worked out that someone had used the Leg-Locker curse on Neville and leapt up and preformed the counter-curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he apologised to Yugi who was hunting for the last few chocolate frog cards. Kaiba picked the last one up, it was of Professor Dumbledore. He read it and smirked, he wasn't going to help the dweeb brigade too much, he knew who Nicolas Flamel was, but this would be a hint.

Yugi smiled as Kaiba passed him the card, text up, and Yugi gaped at it. Kaiba smirked at Yami and left the hall with his laptop. "I found him!" Yugi gasped, "I've found Flamel! Well Kaiba found him actually; listen to this…Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for his discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his friend Nicolas Flamel."

Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd got back their marks for their very first piece of homework.

"Stay here!" She said and sprinted out the door. A couple of minutes and a few turns later she was back, an enormous book in her arms and completely out of breath. "I never thought to look in here! I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?!" Yami asked as the book landed on the table with a heavy thud. Kari and Neville were deep in conversation, and Neville looked up happily eating Kari's last chocolate frog and left them to it. Yami was getting scolded for talking while Hermione was looking for something within the light? book.

She found what she was looking for, "I knew it! I knew it!"

"Are we allowed to talk yet?" Yami asked, slightly annoyed. Hermione ignored him.

"Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's stone."

"I've heard of that, though I don't think I ever saw one." Ombre said thoughtfully, losing the duel by decking out. "It will turn any base metal to gold and produces the Elixir of Life, while will make the drinker immortal." Hermione nodded.

"The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opra-lover. Mr Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year…" Yugi trailed of from reading what was is the book, stunned.

"That must be what the dog is guarding." Harry said, as they packed their stuff away and made their way to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Kari nodded, "By the way guys, beware Malfoy and Bakura, apparently they're the ones who hexed Neville."

* * *

Harry knew, when the group wished him luck for the match at the changing rooms a week later, that they were worried about him, it wasn't comforting, except for the fact they all had their wands and the Millennium Items were here too, to help should anything go wrong. Harry barely heard Woods pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus 2000.

Meanwhile the group had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who wondered why they all looked so grim, and couldn't understand why they'd all brought their wands to the match or why Yugi, Yami, Kari and Ombre's robes were lumpy. They were each carrying a Millennium Item, with Yami holding the Millennium Rod as well.

Harry nearly shouted for joy when he realised Professor Dumbledore was in the stands, Snape wouldn't dare try anything with the headmaster there. Maybe that was why Snape was so angry when the teams walked onto the pitch, something Ron noticed too.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," He told Joey, "Look their off – OUCH!" Someone had elbowed Ron in the back of the head, it was Malfoy.

"Oh sorry Weasley, didn't see you there." Mouthboy grinned broadly at Bakura who smirked evilly. "Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone wanna take a bet? What about you Weasley? Wheeler?"

Neither boy answered, Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because Fred had hit a bludger at him. Hermione was keeping her eyes on Harry while they others were keeping an eye on the game in general. Harry was circling like a hawk looking for the snitch.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" Said Bakura loudly after a few minutes, as Snape gave Hufflepuff a penalty for no reason other then he could. "It's people they feel sorry for. See there's Potter, who's got no parents, then theirs the Weasleys who have no money – you should be on the team Longbottom, you've got no brains."

"I'm worth twelve of you Malfoy!" Neville stammered. Malfoy, Bakura, Crabbe and Goyle burst out laughing, but Joey, who wasn't taking his eyes of the game, said, "You tell them Neville."

"Come off it Wheeler, if brains were gold both you and Longbottom would be poorer then Weasley and that's saying something."

At this point Yami had to grab a hold of Joey to stop him from attacking Malfoy, while Ron's nerves were stretched to breaking point with anxiety about Harry. "I'm warning you Malfoy – one more word…"

"Ron! Joey!" Hermione said sharply, "Harry…!"

"What where?"

Harry had suddenly dived, drawing gasps and cheers from the crowd. "You're in luck Weasley, Potter has obviously spotted some money on the ground." Said Malfoy.

Ron snapped and Joey escaped Yami's grasp. Before Malfoy and Bakura knew what hit them, the two boys were on top of them, wrestling them to the ground. Neville froze for a minute and then clambered over the back to help.

Hermione was lost in the match, yelling "Come on Harry!" as he sped at Snape. She didn't notice the fighting behind her, or notice Kari join in to help Neville against Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry sped past Snape who only saw a scarlet blur, and pulled up, arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand. The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught s quickly.

"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The games over! Harry's won! Gryffindor are in the lead!" Shieked Hermione, deafening Ombre and hugging the yami who was wondering if she should pull her hikari off of Crabbe.

Harry walked back from the changing rooms on his own, taking his broom over to the shed. He couldn't remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of. The evening air never smelt so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, replying the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur. He leant against the shed and looked up at Hogwarts, with it's windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it, he'd shown Snape.

Speaking of Snape…

A hooded figure came swiftly down from the castle. He recognised the prowling walk as Snape's. But what was he doing down here with everyone in the castle at dinner? Harry jumped back on his broomstick and took off, following Snape above the trees, he landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree and listened to Snape and…

"…d…don't know why you wanted t…t…to meet here of all p…places, Severus…" Professor Quirrell stammered.

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," Said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about he Philosopher's stone after all." Quirrell mumbled something that Harry couldn't hear, but Snape interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B…b..but Severus, I…"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell."

"I…I don't know what you…"

"You know exactly well what I mean." An owl hooted loudly causing Harry to nearly fall out of the tree, he steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, "…your little bit of Hocus Pocus. I'm waiting."

"B…but I d…d…don't…"

"Very well, we'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time do decide where your loyalties lie." He threw the cloak over his head and headed back the way he'd come. It was almost dark now but Harry could see Professor Quirrell, standing as if petrified.

"Harry, where have you been?" Squeaked Hermione.

"We won! You won! We won!" Shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Joey gave Bakura one, and Neville and Kari took on Crabbe and Goyle…Neville's out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be alright – talk about showing Slytherin!"

Kari smiled as they reached the main doors, "Everyone's waiting for you in the Gryffindor common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole cakes and stuff from the kitchen."

"Never mind that now." Harry said, "Let's find an empty room, you wait till you hear this…"

He made sure Peeves wasn't inside the room before he shut the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to steal it. He asked if Quirrell knew how to get past Fluffy – and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' – I reckon there are other things guarding the stone except from Fluffy. Enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-dark arts spell which Snape needs to break through…"

"So you're saying the stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" Yugi said, with alarm.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday." Said Yami.


	12. Joey and Kaiba Agree on Something

Quirrell, however, must have been braver then Yami had thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.

Every time the group passed the third floor corridor Harry, Ron and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check Fluffy was still growling inside, and give the thumbs up to the others. Snape was in his usual bad temper, which, Joey had said, probably meant the stone was still safe. When ever Harry passed, he gave Professor Quirrell an encouraging smile, and the others started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.

Hermione and Kari, however, had more on their mind then the Philosopher's Stone. They had drawn up revision time-tables and Hermione had colour coded all her notes. The group wouldn't have minded, but Hermione had started nagging them to do the same. "Hermione, the exams are ages away!" Joey groaned one evening, when she'd started trying to nag them during a duel.

"Ten weeks! That's not ages!" Hermione snapped, while Kari looked up from her notes, from where she was curled up by the fire, "It's like a blink of an eye to Nicolas Flamel."

"But we're not six hundred years old!" Ron reminded her, "Why are you two revising anyway? You both know it all!"

"No we're not six hundred years old, but two of us are **five THOUSAND** years old." Hermione snapped back, Yami and Ombre looked up at her, suddenly remembering they hadn't done any revision, and Kari had told Ombre she wasn't going to help her yami cheat by letting Ombre use Kari's memories. "You two should know better at least!" Hermione growled at the two yamis, "We need to pass these exams to get into the second year! They're very important, I should have been studying over a month ago, I don't know what's got into me…"

Unfortunately, the teachers had the same idea as Hermione. They gave the first years so much homework that the Easter Holidays weren't half as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Kari next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragons blood or Hermione practising wand movements while you were trying to concentrate on your next duel saving move. Moaning and yawning the group spent most of their free time in the library with the two girls, trying to get through most of their extra work.

"I'll never remember this!" Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing his quill down and looking longingly out the window, Joey had given up about ten minutes ago and was leant back in his chair. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The day was a clear forget-me-not blue and there was the scent of summer in the air. Yami prodded Yugi, who'd fallen asleep over his books, making him jump and sit bolt upright. "I'm awake!" The boy gasped, making Joey laugh and get scolded by the librarian.

"Come on hikari, just a ten minute break…?" Harry heard Ombre moan, he didn't look up until he heard her say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

"Just looking," He said, in a shifty voice that got everyone's attention at once, "An' what're you lot up to? Yeh not still looking for Nicolas Flamel are yeh?"

"Oh we found out who his is ages ago," Said Joey impressively, "And we know what that dog is guarding, it's a Philosopher's Sto…"

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening, "Don' go shouting it about! What's wrong with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you as a matter of fact," Said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy…"

"Shhhh!" Said Hagrid again, "Listen…come an' see me alter, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed to know. They'll think I've told yeh."

"See you later then." Said Ombre. Hagrid shuffled off.

"What do you think he was hiding behind his back?" Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Do you think it has anything to do with the Stone?"

"I'm going to see which section he was in." Yugi said, bored of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table. "Dragons!" He whispered, "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: _Dragon species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, a Dragon Keeper's Guide…_ "

Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him." Said Harry.

"But it's against our laws," Said Ron, "Dragon breeding has been outlawed since 1709, everyone knows that. Anyway you can't tame dragons, it's too dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie has from the wild ones in Romania."

"But there aren't any wild ones in Britain, are there?" Kari asked.

"Of course there are," Said Ron, "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job keeping them hush hush, I can tell you. Our lot have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."

"So what on earth is Hagrid up to?"

When they knocked on the door of the Gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see the curtains all drawn. Hagrid called, "Who is it?" Before he'd let them in and shut the door quickly behind them. It was stiflingly hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches with they, refused.

"So…Yeh wanted to ask me something?"

"Yes." Harry said, no point beating around the bush, "We were wonderin' if you could tell us what is guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."

"O' course I can't," He said, "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know to much already, so I won't tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts…I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

"Oh come on, Hagrid, you must know you might not want to tell us, but you do know everything that goes on around here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. Kari smirked, Hermione was most defiantly smart, "We only wondered who had done the guarding really."

Hermione smiled, "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words, the group beamed at Hermione.

"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that… let's see… he borrowed Fluffy from me… then some o' the teachers did enchantments… Professor Sprout… Professor Flitwick… Professor McGonagall…" He ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell… an Dumbledore himself did something o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

"Snape?"

"Yeah… yer not still on abou' that, are yer? Look Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."

Harry knew the others were thinking the same thing as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything – except it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you?" Yugi asked anxiously, "And you wouldn't tell anyone would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except for me and Dumbledore." Said Hagrid proudly.

"Well that's something." Yami muttered to the others, "Hagrid, can we open a window? It's too hot in here."

"Can't, sorry Yami." Said Hagrid. Joey noticed him glance at the fire. Joey looked at it too.

"Hagrid, what's that?" But he already knew what it was, or what he hoped it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.

"Ah…" Said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's… er…"

"Where did you get it?" Said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "A dragon's egg must have cost you a fortune." That did it, Joey joined Ron at the fireplace, staring intently at the egg.

"Won it," Said Hagrid, "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was glad ter be rid of it , ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" Kari asked, less then thrilled with the idea.

"Well, I've been doin' some readin'." Said Hagrid, pulling out a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library – _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit –_ it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in there." Hagrid ran through a list of things a dragon would need. "What I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback, they're rare, them."

Hagrid looked pleased with himself, Joey looked fascinated, Hermione however, looked less then pleased. "But Hagrid, you live in a wooden house."

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.

"Ever wondered what it would be like to lead a peaceful life?" Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making revision timetables for everyone in the group too. It was driving them mad.

"Peaceful life?" Yugi asked, "What's that?" He asked, half in jest. Joey laughed.

"I don't we've had a 'peaceful life' since before you got the Puzzle, what is it? Three, four years ago now?" Joey asked, Kari smiled. She had to admit her life hadn't been exactly peaceful since she'd met them.

"Even before that." Yugi admitted. Which caused the three who hadn't heard everything to pounce on them and make them tell them everything that had happened to make it an 'un-peaceful life'. It took hours.

The following breakfast time, Hedwig gave Harry a note from Hagrid, it had only three words, "It is hatching."

Joey and Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione and Kari, however, wouldn't hear of it.

"Come on guys, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?" Joey asked, trying to convince them. Kaiba overheard, and came over.

"A dragon hatching?" He asked, trying not to sound interested and failing badly. Joey immediately shut up, not wanting to share with Kaiba.

"Shush, keep it down Kaiba." Kari growled.

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing…" Hermione was cut of rudely.

"Shut Up!" Harry whispered, Mouthboy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Yugi didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.

Joey, Ron, Hermione and Kari argued all the way down to Herdology, and in the end the two girls agreed to run down to Hagrid's during the break, Kaiba was going to go anyway and Joey was NOT going to miss it if Rich-boy was going to see it, even if he'd had to go down on his own. When the bell sounded the group dumped their trowels and raced down to Hagrid's, he met them, looking flushed and excited. Kaiba joined them, much to Joey's disgust.

"It's nearly out!" He ushered them inside, Kaiba and Joey both looked excited, Kaiba trying but failing to hide it, and Joey bouncing around like Yugi on both coffee and sugar.

The egg was led on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it. They all pulled chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath, though if Joey and Kaiba got any closer they'd be sat on it. Kaiba looked like he was on Cloud 9 while Joey had moved up to Cloud 29.

Kari had a random thought, _If Joey paid this much attention in class he'd be getting more A+'s then he could count._

' _Be nice hikari.'_ Ombre sent her though the mind link, Kari grimaced; she hadn't meant to be so loud that Ombre could hear her.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumple black umbrella. It's spiny wings were huge compared to it's skinny jet body and it had a long snout with huge nostrils, stubs of horns and bulging yellow eyes. Joey and Kaiba crooned but the dragon walked over to Yami took one look and tried to bite him.

Kaiba laughed his head off as it sneezed and a couple of sparks flew out of it's snout. "Good boy!" Kaiba said, calming down, with affection in his voice, almost at the same time as Joey and Hagrid said, "Bad boy!"

"Isn't he beautiful? I'm gunna call him Norbert." Hagrid murmured. Joey and Kaiba had to agree. Kaiba reached out and stroked the dragon's head with a finger and the dragon leaned into the touch, though if anyone else but he or Joey tried it the dragon just snapped at them, though not it wasn't as vicious when it snapped at Hagrid.

"Hagrid?" Ombre asked thoughtfully, "Just how fast do dragons grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained out of his face and he leapt up and ran to the window.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, moving further away from the dragon that seemed to want to take his hand off.

"Someone was looking through a gap in the curtains – it's a kid – he's running back up ter the school."

Yami bolted to the door and looked out. Even at this distance he couldn't mistake him, it was Malfoy and he'd seen the dragon.


	13. Bye Bye Norbert

Something about the smile on Bakura and Malfoy's faces during the next week made the group very nervous. They spent most of their spare time in Hagrid's hut, trying to reason with him.

"Just let him go." Harry urged, "Set him free."

The dragon had already managed to bite Yugi, but Hagrid couldn't see that 'Norbert' was a dragon, for he replied "I can't, he's too little. He'd die." Yami was of the opinion Hagrid had lost his marbles, something he and Ron agreed on.

"Hagrid," Kari said softly, "give it a fortnight and Norbert will be as big as your house. Mouthboy could go to Dumbledore any moment." Hagrid bit his lip.

"I… I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't just dump him, I can't."

Harry suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie!" He said.

You're losing it too," Yami said under his breath, "He's Ron, remember."

"No, I meant Ron's brother Charlie, in Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie could take care of him and then put him back in the wild!" And in the end Hagrid agreed to letting them send a letter to Charlie to ask him. Kaiba and Joey were both upset by the news. Joey proceeded to sulk for a week and Kaiba wouldn't talk to them anymore, but the group couldn't decide if this was something to rejoice over or be annoyed about.

* * *

The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found the group sat downstairs on their own, duelling and playing Wizard's chess. It was just past midnight when the portrait burst open. Ron and Yugi appeared out of nowhere as they pulled off the invisibility cloak. They had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping to feed Norbert.

"It bit me."

"It bit me again!" Ron and Yugi said at the same time. Yugi wasn't feeling too good and Ron showed them a hand wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week!" Ron continued, "When it bit us… can you believe Joey told us off for frightening it?" He asked Yugi, who shook his head and sat down hard. "And what was even scarier, Kaiba then started giving us a lecture on proper care for a dragon!"

"No, the scariest thing was the fact that when we left Kaiba was singing it a lullaby, badly." Yugi said, with his eyes closed. Yami wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or was severely worried about the CEO, "And Joey was rocking it to sleep." The whole thing with the dragon scared Yami slightly, while they were around the dragon Joey and Kaiba actually got along, that alone was scary, and Yami didn't think Kaiba and Joey noticed they were being downright nice to each other, they were too busy cooing over the hatchling.

There was a tap on the dark window. "It's Hedwig!" Harry said, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer."

"About time." Kari muttered, but it went unheard by everyone but Ombre, who gave her a look as if to say not-now.

They put their heads together to read the note, though Yugi let Yami read it and just mind linked to receive the information that way as he sank into a chair by the fire.

_Dear Ron,_

_How are you? Thanks for the letter – I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit next week. Problem is they can't be seen carrying an illegal dragon._

_Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark._

_Send an answer as soon as possible,_

_Love,_

_Charlie_

They looked at each other. "We've got the invisibility cloak," Said Harry, "It shouldn't be too hard. I think the cloak's big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."

"I could help and use my Orb to hide one of us or Norbert."

It was a sign of how bad things were when everyone agreed with them. Anyhting to get rid of Norbert, Malfoy and Bakura.

There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice it's usual size and the second bite was making Yugi ill. Norbert was obviously poisonous. They weren't sure whether to take Yugi to Madam Pomfrey, would she recognise the symptoms of a dragon's bite? By the afternoon though they had no choice, Ron's cut was going a nasty shade of green and Yugi was burning up. Yami rushed Yugi to the hospital wing without a second thought and Ron followed.

The rest of the group went up to the hospital wing at the end of the day, to find Ron in a terrible state, Yugi was sleeping. "It's not just my hand," Ron whispered, "although that feels like it's about to drop off. Bakura told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come in here and have a good laugh at both of us. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit us. We shouldn't have fought with him and Malfoy at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this. I told her a dog bit Yugi and went after me when I tried to frighten it away but I don't think she believed me."

Harry and Hermione tried to calm him down, "It'll be all over at midnight on Saturday." It didn't work, in fact he sat bolt upright, and broke into a cold sweat.

"Midnight on Saturday!" He said, in a horse voice, "Oh no… oh no… I've just remembered… Charlie's letter was in the book Bakura took. He knows we're getting rid of Norbert!"

They didn't have a chance to reply, as Madam Pomfrey chased them out the room, saying they shouldn't disturb Yugi and Ron needed to sleep.

"It's too late to change the plan now." Kari said to Harry as they discussed it in the Common Room. "We haven't got time to send another owl to Charlie and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we do have the invisibility cloak, even if Bakura does know about the Millennium Orb, he doesn't know about that."

They found Fang the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, Joey and Kaiba, who opened a window to talk to them. "I won't let you in." Hagrid puffed, "Norbert's at a tricky stage, nothin' I can't handle."

When they told the three about the letter, Hagrid's eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten his leg.

"Ahhhh! It's alright he only got my boot… just playing… he's only a baby after all."

"Oh by the way Joey, Yugi's in the hospital wing?" Joey fought his way to the open window.

"Why?"

"Be careful of Norbert's teeth." Kari said. At that precise moment Norbert banged his tail against the wall, making the windows shake, and Harry and Kari retreated back to the castle, feeling that Saturday couldn't come soon enough.

Harry and Kari would have felt sorry for Hagrid and the two teens when the time came for them to say goodbye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they were about to do. How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, Harry wasn't certain though he was pretty sure from the glow of Kari's Millennium Orb she was using her magic to make the load easier.

A sudden movement made them stop and made Kari cut off her magic, causing them to have to get a better grip on the crate so it didn't fall. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan dressing gown and a hairnet, had Malfoy and Bakura by the ears.

"Detention!" She shouted, "And twenty points each from Slytherin! Wondering around in the middle of the night! How dare you?"

"You don't understand Professor!" Malfoy said, "Harry Potter is coming and he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on… I shall see what Professor Snape has to say about you two!"

The tall spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed easy after that. Once they'd removed the cloak Kari turned to Harry. "Malfoy and Bakura have detention, I could sing!"

"Don't." Harry advised her. Laughing about the downfall of the two Slyhterins they waited. Handing Norbert over to Charlie's friend they made their way back down the tower once they were sure Norbert was gone. No more dragon, Malfoy and Bakura in detention, what could go wrong?

The answer to that was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor…

"Well, well, well, we are in trouble now aren't we?" Filch whispered. They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower and Filch had seen them before Kari could activate the Orb. He was right, they were busted.


	14. The Forbidden Forest

Things couldn't be any worse.

Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Kari was grim, she couldn't think of a single good excuse for them being out of the dorms without landing Hagrid in trouble, while excuses, alibis and wild cover up stories chased each other round Harry's head, none of which would work. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak, or forget to use the Orb. There was no reason on earth Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and walking around the school at the dead of night, yet alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out of bounds, except for classes. Add Norbert and the Invisibility Cloak and they might as well have been packing their bags already.

Had Harry thought that things couldn't get any worse? He was wrong, when Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw them, "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy and Bakura saying they were going to catch you and that you had a drag…" Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall saw. She looked more likely to breath fire then Norbert as she towered over them.

"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr Filch says you were up the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. **Explain yourselves.** "

It was the first time Kari refused to answer a teacher's question, she was staring at a stain on the floor and wondering if she could escape to her Soul Room.

"I think I've got a good idea what's going on," Said Professor McGonagall, "it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. You fed Draco Malfoy and Bakura some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get them out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught them. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it too."

Kari's head shot up, that wasn't it at all, but she couldn't tell Neville that in front of McGonagall.

"I'm disgusted," Continued the Professor, "Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Ironhide, I'd have thought you'd have more sense then to try to 'get one over' on the former host of the Millennium Ring. As for you Mr Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you then this. All three of you will receive detention… yes, you too, Mr Longbottom, nothing give you the right to walk around school at night, and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."

"Fifty?" Harry gasped, they would lose the lead they'd gained in the last Quidditch match.

"Fifty points **each**." Continued the Professor, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.

"Professor, please!"

"You can't!"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do Ironhide. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

A hundred and fifty points lost in one night. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one fell swoop they'd messed up any chance Gryffindor had of getting the House Cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomache. How could they ever make up for this?

Harry didn't sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry didn't know what to say to comfort him, and he knew Ombre had been woken by Kari's emotions and was sat in the Common Room with her hikari, having met them at the entrance. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hour-glasses that recorded the house points next day thought there'd been a mistake How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty less points then yesterday? And then the story got out; Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those house points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.

From being one of the most popular and admired people in the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the House Cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering. "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"

Only the gang stood by him. "Don't worry, Ron said, trying to cheer him up the following Saturday, as they sat around the lake, "They'll forget about it in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."

"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" Said Kari miserably.

"Well…no." Ron admitted.

It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he offered to resign from the Quidditch team, something that caused Oliver Wood, the team captain, to storm at him for about twenty minutes. But even Quidditch had lost it's fun, with the team only ever referring to him as 'The Seeker.'

Kari and Neville were suffering too, they didn't have it quite as bad, because they weren't as well known, but no one body outside the gang would speak to them either. Kari had stopped competing with Hermione in class, letting Hermione answer all the questions, and keeping her head down and working in silence.

Harry was almost glad the exams weren't too far away. All the revision he had to do kept his mind off of his misery. He and the gang kept themselves to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells off by heart, memorise dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions…

Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard someone wimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.

"No – no – not again - please…"

It sounded as though someone was threatening him, Harry moved closer.

"All right, all right." He heard Quirrell sob.

Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom, straightening his turban. He was aple and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, and then looked into the classroom. It was empty but a door stood partly open at the other end. Harry was half way towards it it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.

All at the same time, he'd have gambled twelve Philosopher's Stones that Snape had just left the room, and from Harry just heard, would be walking with a new spring in his step, Quirrell had given in at last.

He raced back to the library where Kari was testing Yugi on potions, while Hermione tested Ron on Astronomy. Harry told the group what he'd heard.

"Snape's done it then…" Yami said, "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark-Force spell…"

"There's still Fluffy, though." Said Yugi.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid." Said Joey, looking up at the mountain of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book here somewhere, telling you how to tame or get past a three headed dog. So what's the plan?"

The light of adventure was back in his eyes, something Yugi and Yami recognised all too well, but Hermione answered before Harry or Yami could.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" Ombre growled, "Quirrell's too scared to say anything, Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor. Who do you think they'll believe him or us? It's not exactly a secret we dislike coughhatecough him. Dumbledore will think we made it up to get him sacked. And don't forget that student's aren't supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

"If we just do a bit of poking around…" Joey started.

"No," Said Harry, "We've done enough poking around." He pulled some of his books out and started to study.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Neville and Kari at the breakfast table, they were all the same.

_Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr Filch in the Entrance Hall._

_Professor M. McGonagall._

Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the chaos over the points they'd lost. He half expected Kari to complain that it was a night of revision lost, but she was glaring at the piece of paper, as if just looking at it would set it alight.

At eleven o'clock that night they said goodbye to the group and went down to the Entrance Hall with Neville. Filch was already there, as was Malfoy and…Bakura. Kari groaned, she'd forgotten the two Slytherins had detention too. If she'd have remembered though she would have left the Orb with Ombre, she didn't trust Bakura as far as she could throw him.

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside, "I'll bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh? Oh yes, pain and hard work are the best teachers if you ask me… it's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by the wrists from the ceilings for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, just in case their ever needed… Right off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

They walked across the dark grounds, Kari was preoccupied by the fact Bakura was preoccupied with her Millennium Orb, so Harry was left to wonder what their punishment was by himself, it had to be bad or Filch wouldn't sound so happy.

The moon was bright, but the clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you Filch? Hurry up, I wanna get started!"

Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have showed on his face because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy… it's into the Forest your going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

At this, Neville let out a moan and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks. "The Forest?" Malfoy repeated, and he didn't sound as calm as usual, Bakura actually looked excited, "We can't go in there at night. There's all sorts of things in there… werewolves I heard."

Neville clutched at the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise, Kari went pale.

"That's your lookout, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking in glee, "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got into trouble, shouldn't you?" Hagrid came striding out of the darkness, Fang st his heel. He was carrying a large crossbow, and a quiver full of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Abou' time." He said, "I bin waiting for half an hour already. All right Harry, Kari?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly with them, Hagrid, they're here to be punished, after all."

"So that's why yer late is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch, "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place to do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them." Filch hobbled away, and Malfoy got into a loud argument with Hagrid, which ended with Hagrid telling Malfoy to go back to the castle, which he didn't do. Hagrid explained that they were looking for a wounded unicorn, and that they might have to put it out of it's misery.

"Right then, were going to split into two parties, an' follow the trail in two different directions."

"I want Fang!" Malfoy said, almost immediately.

"Alright, but just so I warn yer, he's a bloody coward." Said Hagrid, "So me, Harry an' Kari'll go one way an' Fang, Draco, Bakura an' Neville'll go the other. We'll send up green sparks if we get into trouble and if any of you get into trouble you send up red sparks." They practised and once Hagrid was happy they could do that they split up. Kari had to admit that though they were hunting something dangerous, she was happier now they'd split up away from Bakura.

The forest was dark and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the path and Harry, Kari and Hagrid went one way while the others took the other path. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every so often a ray of moonlight lit a spot of silvery unicorn blood. Harry saw that Hagrid was very worried.

"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.

"Not fast enough, it's not easy to catch a unicorn, they're powerful magical creatures. I never knew one to be hurt before."

They continued walking, they could hear running water so there had to be a stream near by. There were still spots of blood along the earthen path.

"You alright Kari?" Hagrid whispered, "Don' worry, it can't have gone far if it's this badly hurt an' then we'll be able ter – GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"

Hagrid seized their robes and dragged them behind a tree, he pulled out an arrow and fitted it to the crossbow, ready to fire and the three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby; it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path and Kari sensed a terrible dark magic, greater then anything she'd ever felt before, the feeling hitting her like a ton of bricks. But the sense faded with the sound, and after a few seconds both were gone.

"I knew it," Hagrid murmured, "There's something in this forest that shouldn't be."

"A werewolf?"

"That's no werewolf, Harry." Kari said, her face ash white. "That was something else."

They walked more slowly now, listening for the faintest sound, in the clearing ahead something defiantly moved.

"Who's there? Show yerself – I'm armed!" Hagrid called. It was a centaur and his name was Ronan. It drove Hagrid up the wall, as he was unable to get a sensible or straight answer out of it.

"Never…" Hagrid growled after Ronan had left, "try to get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers, not interested in anything closer then the moon."

"Do you think it was a centaur we heard earlier?" Harry asked, Kari shook her head hard but it was Hagrid that answered.

"Did it sound like hoofs to you? Nah, if yer ask me, that was what's bin killing the unicorns… never heard anything like it before." Kari stared at him, then no one knew how much magic the creature had. They carried on walking through the dense, dark trees. Harry had the feeling someone was watching them, he was very glad Hagrid and his crossbow were here. They had just passed a bend in the path when Kari growled. "Hagrid, look, red sparks, the others are in trouble."

"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted, "Stay on the path, I'll come back for you." They heard him crash through the bushes and Kari and Harry looked at each other, pale and frightened.

"You don't think they've been hurt do you?" Kari asked, remembering what she'd sensed.

"I don't care if Malfoy or Bakura have but if any things got Neville, it's our fault he was here in the first place."

The minutes dragged by and Harry and Kari waited until a great crashing announced Hagrid's return. It seemed Bakura and Malfoy had thought it would be funny to scare the living daylights out of Neville and Neville had sent up red sparks.

"All right, we're splitting into 3 groups and changing partners, Sorry Harry, you're with Malfoy, Kari, you're with that bloody idiot, Bakura, if we catch anything now we'll be lucky, Neville you stay with me." Kari nodded grimly, and they split up again.

Kari and Bakura had only just left the other two groups eyesight when Bakura turned on her. "Well then, since we're alone…" The forest disappeared and shadows rose around them. Kari lost sight of the forest almost completely, the world now around them dark and cold.

"Where are we?" Kari growled, aware of the Millennium Ring's glow from its place beneath Bakura's robes, the light showing through.

"I forgot, you're the only barer of a Millennium Item who has never played a shadow game. Welcome Kari, to the Shadow Realm. I bet you have your deck on you, a true duellist is never without it."

Bakura had guessed right, but Kari was feeling odd, sort of drained, like something was pulling on her. A scream cut through the air, it was from outside the shadows and Bakura growled, and the shadows faded, "What is it with all the interruptions?" He growled, "First Kaiba and now this…" Kari didn't have a chance to explain as she sensed the magic she had earlier, she knew Bakura did too, that was probably why he'd dropped his 'Shadow Realm'? She'd have to ask Ombre about it, once… she ran towards the scream. And arrived at the point where Harry was just as Hagrid and Neville did, Malfoy returning from a different direction and Bakura was not that far behind her.

The group had mostly fallen asleep in the Common Room waiting for them, and Ombre and Ron were roughly shaken awake, who in turn woke the others a little more gently. Ron and Joey were sleepy but Harry couldn't sit still as he explained what had happened, while pacing in front of the fire.

"Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort's waiting in the Forest… and all this time we thought Snape wanted it for himself, to get rich…"

"Stop saying the name!" Said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them. Harry wasn't listening.

"Firenze, he's a centaur, saved me, but he shouldn't have done… Bane was furious… he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen… they must show Voldemort's coming back… Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me… I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"Voldemort!" Joey yelled at him, effectively silencing Ron.

"So now all I've got to wait for now is for Snape to steal the Stone," Harry continued, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off… I suppose Bane'll be happy."

Everyone was pale, Kari had forgotten what she was supposed to ask Ombre in her concern for Harry. Hermione had a word of comfort.

"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore is the only wizard You Know Who was ever afraid of. With him around You Know Who won't touch you. Anyway who says the centaurs are always right? It sound's like a branch of fortune telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

The sky had turned light before the seven had stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.

When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly under them. There was a note pinned to it:

_Just in case._


	15. Exams and Trouble

In years to come, Harry would never quite remember he had managed to get through his exams when he had half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the days crept by and and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

It was swelteringly hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-cheating spell and even worked again the hikari-yami mind link, much to Yami's disgust.

They had practical exams too. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuff box. Points were given for how pretty it was, points deducted if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a forget Fullness Potion.

Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the Forest. Neville thought it was exam nerves, Yami and Yugi, who both knew better then to ignore such coincidences were more worried about it then anyone other then Harry.

Maybe it was because they hadn't seen Voldemort in the Forest, or because they didn't have burning scars, but to Harry's eyes the others didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them but, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their revision they didn't even have enough time to duel, yet alone worry about what Snape or anyone else was up to.

The very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry and Yugi couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was easier then I thought it would be." Said Hermione, as they joined the crowds flocking out into the sunny grounds. "We needn't have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct, or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

"I only learnt about the first part." Kari said, trying to stop Hermione from going on about the test, it made Ron feel ill, and Kari wanted to talk to Ombre about another matter. She waited until they reached the banks of the lake and were watching the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

"Yugi? Yami?" Kari asked, unsure how to start, "Can you please explain to me about the Shadow Realm, and I mean everything."

Ombre growled and stared at her hikari, Yugi's eyes had widened, and Yami looked at her like she'd sprouted an extra head. "Who's been threatening you?" Ombre growled, drawing her wand, "That place is nothing but trouble."

"I nearly ended up playing a Shadow Game in the Forbidden Forest when Bakura and I got split up from the rest of group."

"I'll kill him!" Ombre growled, getting to her feet, "I'll bloody well kill him!" She was promptly tackled to the ground by Joey who pinned her down until she clamed down, having lost her wand to allow her to jinx Joey until he got off.

"Can I let you up now?" Joey asked, "Killing Bakura here would cause problems, wait until the summer and beat him up then." Ombre was still growling but nodded. Joey got up slowly, and Ombre sat up.

"Apparently he tried to Shadow Game Kaiba too, but he was interfered with then too."

"What stopped him when he tried to play you?"

"We sensed Voldemort."

"You sensed…" Hermione was now looking at her like she'd grown an extra head. Kari nodded.

"And I've been sensing a weaker version of that power ever since we returned to the castle."

"Then there might be something in my scar still hurting." Harry burst out. Kari nodded. Ron however couldn't get worked up about it as Ombre searched for her wand, it was too hot.

"Harry relax, you heard Hermione, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any real proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once., he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Yugi looked up at the sky, watching a owl flutter towards the school with a note in it's mouth as Yami and Ombre told Kari what to expect if he tried it again. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent Harry notes. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy… never… but… He suddenly jumped to his feet.

"What's wrong?" Yami asked, breaking off his explanation as he sensed Yugi's concern.

"I've just thought of something," Yugi said, his face white. "We have to go see Hagrid." Harry seemed to have been thinking along the same lines as Yugi, as he was first up.

"I agree."

"Why?" Hermione panted, trying to keep up with the other two.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd." said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "That what Hagrid wants more then anything is a dragon and a stranger turns up at the Leaky Cauldron who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs in their pockets if it's against the law? Lucky they found Hagrid don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you on about?" Ron asked, but Harry, who was sprinting across the grounds, couldn't hear him. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; "Hullo!" He said, smiling as he saw them, "Finshed yer exams? Got time for a drink?"

"Yes, please!" Said Joey eagerly, but Yugi cut across him.

"No, we're in a hurry, Hagrid. I've got to ask you something. You know the night when you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno, he wouldn't take his hood off." Hagrid caught the concerned looks on the faces of the students, ancient and otherwise. "It's not that unusual, you get a lot of funny people in the Hog's Head… that's the pub down in the village, mighta been a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas Hagrid had been shelling, "What did you talk about? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up…" Hagrid rambled a bit, but a phrase caught Ombre's attention. "So, I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"

"And did he… did he seem interested in Fluffy?" She asked, trying to remain claim.

"Well yeah, how many three-headed dogs do yer meet? But I told him the trick with any beast is to know how to tame it, take Fluffy for instance, just play him a bit of music and he'll go right to sleep." Hagrid suddenly looked horrified, "I shouldn' a told yer that! Hey, where are yer going?"

The group rushed back to the Entrace Hall without saying a word. They stopped and Harry turned to the group. "We've got to go to Dumbledore. Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Snape of Voldemort under that cloak. It must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office? We just have to…"

"What are you all doing inside?" It was Professor McGonagall with a very large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore." Yami said, Ron thought the Pharaoh had a death wish.

"See Professor Dumbledore? Why?" She asked as though this was a fishy thing to want to do.

"It's sort of secret." Harry said and then wished he hadn't and that he had a yami to protect him from the death-glare the Professor was giving him.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago, he received an urgent message from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once." McGonagall said coldly.

"He's gone?" Yugi said franticly, "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Muto, he has many demands on his time."

"But this is important!"

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Muto?"

"Look," Said Yami, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor, it's about the Philosopher's Stone." What ever Professor McGonagall had expected it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms and she didn't pick them up.

"How do you know…?" she spluttered.

"Professor, we think… we know… that Sn… someone's going to try to steal it. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." She eyed Yami with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," She said finally, "I don't know how you found a out about the Stone but rest assured no one can steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor…"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about. I suggest you go outside and enjoy the sunshine." But they didn't.

"It's tonight," said Harry, once the Professor was out of ear shot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent the note I bet the Ministry for Magic will have a shock when he turns up."

"But what can we…" Hermione gasped, and the rest of the group wheeled around.

"Good afternoon." It was Snape, "You shouldn't be inside on a day like this, you want to be more careful, hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something, and Gryffindor can't afford to lose anymore points, can they? Be warned Potter," Snape continued as they turned to go. "Any more night time wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you." Out on the stone steps Harry turned to the others.

"Right, here's what we've got to do." One or two of us have to keep an eye out for Snape, wait outside the Staff Room and follow him if he leaves it, Hermione, Kari, you'd better do that."

"Why us?"

"It's obvious," Said Ron, "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick you know." He put on a high voice, "Oh Professor Flitwick, I think I got question fourteen B wrong." He got punched by Kari for that while Hermione told him to, "Shut up!"

"And we'd better stay outside the third floor corridor." Harry said, Kari looked at Yugi and had an idea.

"I think Hermione and Ombre should keep an eye on Professor Snape, I have a good cover for me and Yugi being anywhere at anytime. We're duelling."

"Outside the third floor corridor? Why would you be duelling there?" Harry asked. Ombre coughed multiple times which sounded like 'Steps to the Potions classes' "You duelled, where?" Harry couldn't quite believe he'd heard that right.

"Remember the day Gryffindor lost 80 points, the day before you won your first Quidditch match." Harry nodded, "That was because we were duelling on the steps down to the Dungeons, we must have aggravated almost every Slytherin going, but they didn't want to kick our cards because our monsters might have bitten them, so Snape took points 40 points each off of Gryffindor instead of letting our cards get vandalised."

"And why of all places did you decide to duel there?" Again, Ombre cough answered, 'Fred and George.' Ron had to laugh.

"Ok, you two go duel wherever, we can't stop you." Joey said out loud. The two dashed off, while the others took plans of actions on other courses, a match between those two would go for hours.

"What are you two doing here?" Professor McGonagall asked, staring coldly at the two duellists sat on the floor of the third floor corridor.

"I challenged him." Kari said simply.

"And once again, you chose to duel where the challenge was issued no doubt, you two are a nightmare, the only people worse for duelling wherever the challenge was issued are your counterparts. But I'm warning you, if duel being here has anything to do with the Philosopher's Stone…"

Professor McGonagall had recognised that there was power involved with the game after her first encounter with an impromptu duel, which had been between Yugi and Kari on the Gryffindor dinning table and she'd felt the power radiating from the two duellists and from the cards, the same sort of magic she sensed from the Millennium Items the children, no teens, both carried. As such, she was wary of trying to get them to move from wherever they'd taken up residence to duel, though she had yelled at them when she'd found out about the dungeon steps incident, she was sure that hadn't been their plan originally, she was sure a certain pair of trouble makers had something to do with it. Professor McGonagall turned and left, glad to see the rest of their group had already left the Entrance Hall, Kari and Yugi had probably been on their way down when Kari had challenged Yugi and they'd ducked into the nearest corridor since she'd banned them from duelling on stairs anymore.

Kari smiled as she drew her card, they might as well play since they were here, she'd been right though, while the Professor wouldn't have had a second thought about sending Harry and Ron away, but the Professor seemed to know that there was magic involved in this game and she didn't want to disturb the magic while it was in motion.

Interestingly, it wasn't Snape who kept passing them as their duel dragged on, but Quirrell.

"At least Hermione is on Snape's trail." Harry said to the group, as they sat in the Common Room, the portrait was pushed open and Hermione came through.

"I'm sorry Harry. Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I told him I was waiting for Professor Flitwick and Snape went to get him and I've only just got away. I don't know where Snape went." Harry and the others waited until darkness fell, it wasn't that long, about two hours, Kari and Yugi had reported that Yugi had won the first match of the set, Kari the second and they were about to start the final round. There was no sign of Snape yet, but they'd seen Quirrell a lot.

"At least we know that he hasn't tried to enter the third floor corridor because…"

' _YAMI!'_

' _OMBRE!'_ Two mental screams followed by silence and a loss of the link caused both yamis to stand up quickly, knocking over their table, and send their magic through the castle, trying to find any trace of their hikaris.

" _Yugi? YUGI?"_

" _Kari? KARI, WHERE ARE YOU?"_ There was no trace, no wavering bond that told them they were safe and they'd just dropped their Millennium Items, just emptiness where Yugi and Kari had been second before.

"I've lost the link to Yugi." Yami growled, there was an edge to his voice that Harry had never heard from the normally amicable Pharaoh, who only seemed to dislike those who proved themselves untrustworthy. "Snape's gone after the Stone."


	16. Through the Trapdoor

"Then we go after him," Harry said, "We'll go now." Harry raced up to his dorm and grabbed his invisibility cloak and ran back down, Yami and Ombre were the first out the Common Room, with Joey, Harry and Ron not far behind. Hermione was last, unsure if this was a good idea. Neville tried to stop them as they exited the Common Room. "You can't…you'll get Gryffindor into trouble."

"Neville," Yami growled, "Get out of my way."

"No… I won't let you do it. I'll… I'll fight you!"

"Neville…" Yami's voice was dangerously low, Joey recognised this Yami as the one from four years ago, before he and Yugi had really been a team. Yugi had once said that the spirits of the Millennium Items needed their hikaris to keep them from returning to the darkness from which they'd been liberated and it seemed if the link went dead... Joey went to get Neville out of the way before Yami did, by less pleasant methods, but was beaten to the punch by Hermione.

"Neville, this is for your good, Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione cried, pointing her wand at Neville, who's arms snapped to his sides, his legs sprang together and his whole body went rigid, he swayed where he stood and fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

Hermione flipped him over, Neville's teeth were jammed together so he couldn't speak, but his eyes followed them, there was horror in them. "The full body bind. I'm sorry Neville."

"It's better then what would have happened had you not got out of his way." Joey said, waving towards Yami, who'd joined Harry and they grouped together,

"Can we cover six people with the invisibility cloak?" Hermione asked, they tried it and it was a stretch but it just about covered all of them. As they reached the third floor, Yami and Ombre spotted something on the floor and Yami growled, picking up the fallen piece of the Millennium Puzzle, The rest was no where to be seen, this was the final piece so Yugi probably had the rest with him, but even with just one piece missing…, the Puzzle had to be complete for their link to be there.

He turned to Ombre, who was holding the golden Orb, which gave her, the link to her hikari with fear and dread and one other emotion, one that Yami too was feeling, pure rage. "If he's hurt them in any way…" Yami let that threat hang; Joey recognised the start of a Pharaonic explosion and prayed the next person to cross him wasn't one of their friends.

"You two can go back if you want." Harry said to Ron and Hermione, "And take the invisibility cloak, I won't need it any more."

"Don't be stupid." Said Ron.

"We're coming." Hermione said too.

"Yami." Called a voice from behind them, not one Joey was happy to hear right now, especially with Yami's current frame of mind.

"Kaiba." Yami growled, turning around slowly. Kaiba realised instantly this wasn't a good time to challenge him to a duel, in fact this would be a very good time to turn and run very, very far away. Something bad had obviously happened to put Yami in as bad a mood as to scare the mutt. _Something,_ Kaiba thought, _that has something to do with Yugi, I'd bet._ "I don't have time to deal with you now." Kaiba couldn't help but notice that Kari Ironhide was missing too, which probably accounted for Ombre's bad mood.

"I'm guessing something has happened to your 'hikaris'," Kaiba continued, well aware Yami was itching to hurt someone right now and one false move would make it him. "And that you think that it has something to do with the Philosopher's Stone hidden in that corridor."

"That's right, but I really suggest you don't get in our way. Not if you like your soul where it is." Ombre growled, her voice dark and her eyes flashing.

"I wouldn't dare with you two in this sort of mood." Kaiba gulped, backing away slowly, "I was about to offer my help actually."

"How did you even know we were here? And why would you help us?" Yami growled, moving towards the door.

"I don't wish Yugi dead, I did once, and I was a different person then, now I want to beat him and if Ironhide dies I lose valuable and respected member of staff, the likes of which I'm liable never to get again. Oh if you're going to go around the school, invisible, at least tell the mutt to make less noise." Kaiba smirked and Joey launched himself at Kaiba who ducked under Joey's punch and moved back."

"Joey!" Yami snapped and Joey stopped immediately. "This isn't the time or place fro fighting, or aggravating, that means you too Kaiba." Harry went to unlock the door but found someone had done it already.

"Ready guys?" Harry asked, wondering if he should let Joey finish punching Kaiba.

* * *

Kari groaned and opened her eyes, last thing she remembered, she and Yugi had been duelling and then… It wasn't Snape! It was Quirrell, Quirrell was the one who was after the Philosopher's Stone. She looked around, she must have been leant up against a wall, one behind the Mirror of Erised, which Quirrell was stood in front of, because she could see the door. Yugi was next to her, still out cold, his wrists and ankles bound the same as hers with their hands trapped behind their backs. She growled softly when she saw her's and Yugi's wands and their amulets in a small pile by the door, there were no signs of… no wait, there was a piece missing but the Millennium Puzzle was by Quirrell's feet, however the Orb was nowhere to be seen.

Yugi groaned and Kari's attention snapped back to him, he'd bashed his head on the way down when Quirrell had stunned them after getting annoyed with them for taking so long to duel, so Yugi's head probably hurt. She was right, Yugi's vision swam as he opened his eyes. "Where are we?" He asked as he looked around, having spotted Kari first.

"I think we're down the trapdoor in the third floor corridor." Kari answered quietly, trying not to attract Quirrell's attention. It didn't work.

* * *

Yami was staring down a giant three headed dog when the weakened form of his link with Yugi came back, "Yugi's down there, so we have to get past the dog." Kaiba looked at him stunned, mere seconds ago Yami would have sent the dog, hell the entire castle to the Shadow Realm to get Yugi back. _No,_ Kaiba thought, _maybe not the entire castle, but defiantly this corridor and the Slytherin Common Rooms._ There was a harp by Fluffy's feet. If the missing duellists weren't enough to go by then that was proof that someone had gotten past Fluffy. However the dog was awake now, Harry pulled something out of his pocket, a roughly carved wooden flute.

"And that's going to help us how?"

"Ah ha, so Rich-boy doesn't know everyth…" Joey trailed off after getting glared at by Yami and Kaiba at the same time. _Note to self, don't even try to joke at the moment._ Harry put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune but it was enough to put the dog to sleep. "Keep playing." Joey murmured as they slipped out of the cloak and crept towards the trap door. They opened it, "I can't see anything." Joey continued to murmur. "I'm gunna go first." Joey dropped down, closely followed by Harry, Yami, Ombre, Kaiba, Ron and Hermione.

With a muffled thump, they landed on something soft. "What is this stuff?" Ron asked.

"Dunno, a sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall." Hermione landed next to Ron.

"We must be miles under the school." She said, looking around.

"Lucky this plant things here."

"Lucky?" Shrieked Hermione, "Look at all of us!" She leapt up and struggled towards a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she'd landed, the plant had started to wind snake like tendrils around her ankles. As for they others, their legs had been bound tightly in long creepers without them noticing. Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm hold on her. Now she had to watch as the others tried to free themselves, but the plant came back with a vengeance, winding round the struggling figures faster and tighter.

"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them, even Kaiba stopped to listen. "I know what this is, the Devil's Snare."

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help." Ron snarled, but Kaiba was thinking.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione said.

"Well hurry up, I can't breathe." Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it wound around his chest.

"Devil's Snare thrives in the dark and damp…" Kaiba started, thinking back to his lessons with Professor Sprout.

"So I need a fire!" Hermione smiled, then frowned.

"HERMIONE!" Joey growled, Yami and Ombre weren't saying much, deciding to pay more attention to the plant then yelling at Hermione.

"But there's no wood!" She cried. At this point Yami's temper flared again.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" He roared, scaring everyone into silence, "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

Hermione didn't have any response other then to pull out her wand, muttered something and sent a jet of bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds the plant had unwound from around the others and they were free. "Lucky rich-boy pays attention in Herbology." Joey admitted, the first one to speak after Yami's outburst, as they walked down a stone passage way.

"Humph," Kaiba said, unused to complements from the mutt, "Yami got Hermione moving."

"Considering I heard you didn't believe in magic, I've heard you're doing pretty well." Hermione said, avoiding Yami, who seemed to have calmed down slightly. She knew this was hard on him but his temper scared her. "I've heard you're top of your house." Kaiba preened and Joey saw this and couldn't resist.

"Trust rich-boy to have to prove himself better then everyone else." Joey said loudly, smirking as he did so. Kaiba growled but ignored him, something that surprised Ombre who was walking silently. "Don't worry guys, we'll find them, and if Snape's hurt them you can do whatever you like to him." Joey said and then was slightly worried about the malicious look that dawned on Yami and Ombre's faces, Kaiba saw them and decided he was glad he was on their side for once.

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered. They listened, a soft rustling and clinking noise seemed to be coming from up ahead. "Do you think it's a ghost?"

"I don't know." Yami said, speaking for the first time since he'd yelled at Hermione. "Sounds like wings to me… Hermione," He continued, "I'm sorry for yelling at you." Hermione flashed him a hurt smile and Yami sighed, he had to make it up to Hermione somehow. "There's a light up ahead, I can see something moving."

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, it's ceiling reaching at least as far as they'd fallen and arching high above them. It was full of small jewel bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door. "Do you think they'll attack us if we cross?"

"Probably," said Harry, "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped at once…"

"Well then…" Joey said, pulling out his wand, "I'll run for it." Joey took a deep breath and raced across the room. He expected the birds to attack him but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched and was joined in short order by Harry. Joey pulled the handle, but it wouldn't budge, it was locked. The others joined them by the door and Hermione pulled out her wand, "Alohomora!" She said, trying the charm on the door, to no effect.

"Now what?" Joey asked, turning around and scowling. He reached up to his neck and yanked his amulet off. Once he was a teenager again he turned to the door and tried to tackle it, bouncing off the solid wooden door. Yami and Kaiba did the same, causing Harry to go flash blind for a couple of minutes because he'd forgotten to close his eyes. The three tackled the door but it wouldn't budge. Yami growled at it, as Ombre pulled her's off and joined them, but they had to give up when Joey hurt his shoulder from bashing into the door wrong. The teens pocketed their amulets, they didn't need them down here and Harry, Ron and Hermione already knew about them. And if Snape didn't it would be a good shock for him.

Hermione meanwhile had been watching the birds and once the teenagers had stopped acting like human battering rams she spoke, "These birds… they can't just be here for decoration."

Harry looked up, "They're not birds." He said suddenly, "They're keys, winged keys. Look carefully. So that must mean…" He looked around the chamber, "Yes, look, three broomsticks, we've got to catch the key to the door… oh." He said as he realised that there was more of them then there were broomsticks. Ron examined the lock on the door.

"Whoever goes up is looking for a big, old fashioned one, probably silver like the handle."

"Harry should go up, he's the best flyer." Joey said, looking slightly green, "and Ron, he has the most experience, and…"

"I'm not taking my feet off the ground." Yami said, Joey looked at him in shock, he actually was greener then Joey was at this point. Obviously the Pharaoh didn't like to fly, but he'd seemed so calm during Battle City, when they'd been going up the inside of the Battle Tower, Joey had to wonder how Yami had kept his cool then.

"Fine I'll do it," Kaiba said, storing the fact that Yami didn't like to fly away for further use at a later date when winding the man up wasn't an invitation to send him to the Shadow Realm, there was annoyance in his voice, but his eyes spoke differently, he loved to fly. "I can fly better then any of you amateurs anyway." Kaiba looked ever so smug as he grabbed the third broom and was in the air seconds behind Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes at the rest of the group as Ron joined Harry and Kaiba in the air.

Harry was the first one to spot the key they wanted, "There, that big one… there… no… there… with bright blue wings… the feathers are all crumpled on one side!" He shouted to the other two. Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling and nearly fell off his broom. "We've got to close in on it." Harry called, not taking his eyes off the needed key, "Ron, come at it from above, Kaiba make sure it doesn't escape downwards, I'll try to catch it." Kaiba didn't like being ordered around by someone 9 years younger then him, but Harry had come up with the most logical plan, even if Kaiba didn't like it. "Right? NOW!"

Ron shot downwards, Kaiba rocketed up and Harry managed to pin the key against a stone wall and bring it down to the door, with Joey, Ron and Hermione cheering, where Joey grabbed it as they landed and unlocked the door to the next room.

The torches lit up and they realised they'd walked onto a giant chess board, just behind the first row of black chess pieces. "Now what?" Harry asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it? We have to play our way across the room." Said Ron.

"How?" Ombre asked, angrily, this was taking too much time.

"That'll be easy. I beat my foster-father and he was the best in Japan."

"At Muggle Chess, maybe, but this will probably be like Wizards Chess." Ron said, he'd never had the chance to play Kaiba since he was in another house to them. Kaiba snorted.

"Like there's much difference." Ron ignored Kaiba and placed his hand on one of the pieces and it came to life, Ron asked it a couple of questions then turned to the others, "Ok, this needs thinking about, we've got to take the place of seven black pieces." Kaiba was sorely tempted to have Yami as a pawn.

"Alright," Ron said finally, thinking it through, "Joey, King's side castle, Harry, Queen's hand bishop, Hermione, you take the castle's place on that side…" Ron stopped to think about it some more. "Yami, take the place of the King, Ombre, King's hand bishop, Kaiba…"

"I decide where I'm going; I'll be the Queen's hand knight."

"That's where I was going to put you," Ron hissed to Kaiba, then spoke loudly, "And I'll be the other knight." As if him finishing was a que, the listening chess pieces left the board.

* * *

Quirrell frowned, he couldn't work out how to get the Stone out of the mirror, he growled and had an idea, stomping over to Yugi and Kari he grabbed Yugi by the hair and waved his wand, causing the rope binding Yugi's feet to fall away. Kari growled as the Professor pulled Yugi to his feet, and tried to squirm against her bonds but Quirrell pointed his wand at her chest and she stopped.

He pulled Yugi over to the mirror and asked "What can you see?" Yugi wouldn't tell him.

* * *

Ron frowned as he looked around the board, only 4 moves in and already something was wrong, Ron was sure Kaiba was leading them into a trap, but couldn't see where it was properly, he just knew. Kaiba got Joey to move and Ron saw it, too late to say anything. "Joey! Look out!"

Joey turned in time to see the white knight approaching, "Oh…!" Joey swore in Japanese but didn't duck in time to avoid the knight's mace, which slammed into him, hard. Joey flew backwards and slammed into the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious. Ombre went to check if he was alright but was yelled at to stay where she was by Ron. Yami growled and though he didn't move off his square, he wheeled around, "You did that on purpose Kaiba!" He shouted, the noise reverberating off the walls.

"No! I didn't…" Kaiba said, glad that he was half a board away from Yami. He hadn't seen it coming… how had he not seen that coming? He hadn't done that on purpose, though no one would believe him now. If he was any good he would have realised he was sending the mutt into a trap.

Ron meanwhile was looking around at the playing field. With Joey's defeat the Knight was free to attack Ombre next move. Ron looked around, Kaiba looked as though he'd been hit by a ton of bricks, Ron had the feeling that while he might dislike Joey that hadn't been part of Kaiba's plan. Ron took over, "Queen to E7" he called allowing their Queen to capture the offending white knight.

Ron continued to lead them, "We're nearly there," He muttered suddenly, "Let me think… let me think…" Kaiba came out of the stupor he'd been in, in time to see the white queen turn towards Ron.

"Ron…" Kaiba spoke, earning a glare from Yami, "You shouldn't…"

"Yes… it's the only way… I've got to be taken."

"No!" Harry and Hermione shouted.

"That's chess, you've got to make sacrifices, I take one step forward and she takes me, I'm sure you see the next move Kaiba." Kaiba looked around. He did, clearly.

"That leaves Harry free to checkmate the King."

"But…"

"Do you want to save Yugi and Kari and stop Snape or what?"

"Ron…" Harry said, knowing Ron was right but not liking it.

"Look, if we don't hurry put, he'll have the Stone and he could have…" Kaiba trailed off, he wasn't going to finish that sentence.

"Ready?" Ron was pale but determined, "Here I go, don't hang around once you've won."

He stepped forward and the white Queen pounced, hit Ron hard with her stone arm. Ron crumpled to the floor. Hermione screamed but remembered what Ron had said to Ombre and stayed on her square. The White Queen dragged Ron to one side of the board, he'd been knocked out. Shaking Harry moved to checkmate the king. The king threw his crown at Harry's feet. With a last desperate look at their friends, the remaining five dashed through the door.

A disgusting smell assaulted their nostrils and a troll rushed at them. "Oh not again." Harry groaned and dodged the troll's rush. The five scattered, and everyone drew their wands, the troll swiped at the nearest target, Ombre, who hit the wall hard. The troll raised it's club and went to smush Ombre. Kaiba got in it's way, casting a spell that sent the troll stumbling backwards, but getting hit in the process. Yami and Harry looked at each other, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The troll's club flew out of it's hand and fell on it's head, knocking it out.

Kaiba staggered to his feet. He felt like someone had hit him with a bus. Yami was looking at him funny. "Why did you..?"

"I made one mistake, I wasn't about to make another." Kaiba said, but he wondered which of the four Yamis stood in front of him, asked the question. Yami and Harry lifted Ombre into the next room, where there were differently shaped bottles. "Snape's." Said Harry, as fire sprung up in the doorway behind them, purple fire, in front of them, black fire sprung up in the doorway, blocking their way forward.

"Isn't it obvious, we've got to drink one of the potions." Kaiba said picking up one of the bottles and drinking it. Hermione looked up from the scroll she'd found as he did so.

"Kaiba! No!" Too late, as Kaiba slumped to the floor. She checked him over, "Sleeping potion, he's fine."

"At least there's one less wrong choice." Yami joked, Hermione rolled her eyes, and reread the scroll.

"Ok," She said after walking up and down the line a few times, muttering to herself, "The smallest bottle will take us through the fire."

"There's only enough for two of us, a sip each at best." Yami said, picking it up.

"Which one will get you back?" Harry asked Hermione, she picked it up. "You drink that, no, listen; you know the spells to get the rest back safely, go straight to the owlery and send a message to Professor Dumbledore, we need him. Yami and I'll go forward." Hermione ran forward and hugged Harry.

"Be careful." She said then drank the potion and tipped some into Kaiba and Ombre's mouths. "Mobilus Corpus." She said, and Kaiba and Ombre lifted off of the ground. They vanished through the purple fire. Yami and Harry looked at each other, and took a sip of the potion to go forward. They dashed through the black fire, hoping the others would be alright. For a moment all they could see was black flames then they emerged on the other side, in the last chamber.

There were people already there, Yugi and Kari and…

"That's not Snape." Yami growled.


	17. The Man With Two Faces

It was Quirrell. He had Yugi by the hair, facing the mirror. Even without the Puzzle, at this range Yami could sense Yugi's pain and fear, and he wasn't about to let it continue. Harry looked past Quirrell to where Kari had spotted them and was staring open mouthed at Yami. Quirrell turned around and smirked, forcing Yugi between him and then two newest people to enter the room. "You!" Harry gasped.

"Me." Quirrell said calmly, watching Yami and keeping his wand at Yugi's back, "I wondered if I'd be seeing you Mr Potter, and I shouldn't be surprised that you're here either Mr Muto, come to rescue your hikari, I suppose."

"Get away from him." Yami growled, Yugi's eyes widened, wondering if Yami was aware he was glowing. Quirrell watched with growing fear as Yami stepped forward, glowing purple, he raised his hand and Quirrell flew backwards, straight into a pillar halfway across the room. Yugi rushed over to Yami, who untied Yugi's wrists and Harry raced over to Kari and untied her. Kari stood up. Yugi rushed over to the mirror and grabbed the Puzzle as Quirrell got up.

Harry turned to him, "But… I thought… Snape…"

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, not his usual quivering treble either, but a cold, sharp laugh. "Yes, Severus does seem the type doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him who would suspect p..poor st…stuttering P…Professor Quirrell?"

Yami growled again, he didn't like what he was sensing from the Professor. Yugi came back over to Yami's side, who handed the hikari the puzzle piece he'd found in the third floor corridor. Yugi put it on and instantly the mind link came back, Yugi could feel the darkness from Quirrell too, and Yami was certain there was more there then met the eye. "Be careful Harry." Kari murmured, her face ashen, as Harry stepped forward. "He has the same power I sensed in the forest." Harry nodded but couldn't take it in.

"But Snape tried to kill me!"

"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. I had to deal with Miss Ironhide over there, but your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over in her rush to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you, Miss Ironhide's distraction, meant that if I'd only had another couple of seconds and I'd have gotten you off of that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering his little counter-curse, trying to save you."

"Snape was trying to… save me?"

"Of course." Said Quirrell coolly, "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? Funny really… he needed have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought that he was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular… and what a waste of time, after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight." Quirrell snapped his fingers and ropes wrapped tightly around Harry. He quickly turned to Yami, who was still glowing, though not as brightly, with his wand drawn, and before anyone could make a move cast a spell, "Stupify!"

Yami, who was stood between Quirrell and Yugi, was knocked backwards into his hikari. Yugi and Yami hit the ground, Yugi was up in seconds, supporting Yami, holding the completed Millennium Puzzle and scowling as Kari tried to untie Harry. Quirrell smirked and pointed his wand at Kari next. "Kari!" Yugi yelled, she turned in time to see the stunning spell cast, giving her enough time to roll out of the way.

"You and your friends are too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school at Halloween like that, lot I know you'd have seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone." Quirrell continued, circling around until he was blocking the only exit. Wand in hand, "And Mr Muto, I am well aware of the powers of those things which you call Millennium Items, if you even think about using the Puzzle, the Pharaoh will get it, don't think I only know how to stun someone. How do you think I was able to counter Ironhide's attempt to help Potter during that Quidditch Match? My Master knows of these items existence and has done extensive research into them."

"Wait? Halloween? Then you let the troll in?"

"Certainly, I have a certain knack for trolls though I would have thought it would be conscious by now…"

"It was." Harry murmered, Yugi looked at him sharply, they'd fought a troll to get here? Sorry another troll? Quirrell continued.

"Of course Snape already suspected me, and went straight to the third floor, and not only did my troll fail to beat you all to death but that three headed dog couldn't even chew Snape's leg off properly." Quirrell looked around, Harry was almost free, Yami was out cold, "Immobulus!" Quirrell called, his wand pointed at Yugi, who was instantly frozen on the spot, Kari moved quickly in an attempt to grab her wand, but failed to cast the necessary spell to revive Yami before she was hit by Quirrell's Immobulus spell and was forced to stop dead in her tracks, unable to move. "That's better." Quirrell said, moving in front of what Harry now realised was the Mirror of Erised. "This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell muttered, "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this, but he's away in London and I'll be far away by the time he gets back."

"I saw you and Snape in the forest…" Harry blurted out, Kari wondered what he was up to, unless he was just trying to buy some time.

"Yes." Quirrell said idly, walking around the mirror, "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd gotten. He suspected me all along, tried to frighten me, as if that's possible with Lord Voldemort by my side." Quirrell came back in front of the mirror, "I see the Stone, I'm presenting it to my master, but where is it?"

Frustration seeped through Yugi, it didn't seem to matter what he tried, he couldn't move. He saw Harry struggling against the ropes Kari had failed to untie and felt Kari's magic flare, her eyes closed. All three of them were aware they had to keep Quirrell from turning his full attention to the mirror. "But Snape seems to hate me so much!"

"Oh, he does…" Quirrell continued casually, "Heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

"But I heard you, a few days ago, sobbing. I thought Snape was threatening you."

For the second time a spasm of fear crossed Quirrell's face, "Sometimes I find it difficult to follow my master's instructions, he is a great wizard and I am weak." Harry kept the man talking, an idea forming in his head, he tried to get to the mirror but fell over because of the ropes. Quirrell ignored him. Quirrell had said that Voldemort was always with him but there was no one else in the room.

However when Quirrell asked his master for help, a voice answered that seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy." Quirrell rounded on Harry.

"Yes, Potter come here!" The ropes fell away, Harry got to his feet, "Come here or else your friends get it. Look in the Mirror and tell me what you see." Harry moved towards him, Quirrell seemed to have forgotten about the other two, who were reluctant to let Harry move towards him but couldn't do anything about it.

_I must lie,_ he thought desperately, _I must look and lie about what I see, that's all._

Quirrell moved in close behind him, Harry breathed in the funny small that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. Quirrell had to turn away from Kari and Yugi, having kept an eye on them until this point, and the freezing spell wore off. In seconds Kari had finished her dive for her wand but was wary of casting anything with Quirrell so close to Harry. Harry had stepped in front of the mirror. "Well?" Quirrell demanded, "What do you see?"

Kari bit her bottom lip, "I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore, I… I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor." Quirrell cursed again.

"Get out of the way!" He said, pushing Harry aside. Before Harry had taken too many steps and before Yugi and Kari had reached the boy the voice had spoken again, though Quirrell's lips didn't move.

"He lies… he lies."

"Potter come back here! What did you see?" The high voice spoke again.

"Let me speak to him, face to face."

"Master, you are not strong enough."

"I have strength enough for this."

Harry felt as though the Devil's Snare had rooted him to the spot. The three of them watched as Quirrell unwrapped his turban. Once it was completely unwrapped Quirrell turned around, towards them.

Harry would have screamed if he could, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. "What in Ra's name?" Kari gasped, Yugi's normally huge eyes were gigantic with shock. It seemed they'd seen the source of the dark magic they'd been sensing.

"Harry Potter…" It whispered.

Harry would have retreated but he couldn't move. "See what I have become?" The face said, "Mere shadow and vapour, I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… not unlike you two and your former partners." The voice said, talking to Yugi and Kari, Kari glared at the face. Yugi couldn't deny that what he'd said was true, though their partner's were spirits from ancient times, they had at one point relied in Yugi and Kari to have forms.

"They're still our partners!" Yugi said.

The face laughed, "That's what you think, they don't need you any more. As I was saying, unicorn blood has strengthened me these past weeks, you saw Quirrell drinking it in the forest and once I have the Elixir of Life I will be able to create a body of my own. Shadow Magic is too unpredictable to rely on it to give me one like it did the spirits of your items. Now Potter, why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket." So he knew. The feeling surged back into Harry's legs and he stumbled backwards. "Don't be a fool, better to save your own life and the lives of your friends and join me or you'll meet the same end as your parents, they died begging me for mercy."

"LIAR!" Harry suddenly shouted, aware Yugi and Kari were making their way, slowly, to his side, trying to avoid catching Quirrell's attention in case they need to startle him, Quirrell was walking backwards at him so Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.

"How touching," it hissed, "I always value bravery. Yes, boy, your parents were brave. I killed your father first and he put up a courageous fight but your mother needn't have died, she was trying to protect you. Now give me that Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain!"

"NEVER!" Harry sprang towards his friends but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and, next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand on his wrist. At once a needle sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt like it would split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might and to his surprise Quirrell let go. The pain lessened and he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers, they were blistering before his eyes. Yugi and Kari pulled Harry behind them, while they stood between Harry and Quirrell.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" Shrieked Voldemort again and Quirrell lunged, knocking all three off of their feet and landing on Harry, both hands around the boy's neck. Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony. "Master! I cannot hold him, my hands… my hands!"

Kari pulled Quirrell off of Harry, while Yugi pulled Harry to his feet. "Stupify!" Quirrell growled, his wand pointed at Kari, who was blasted halfway across the room and landed hard on the stone floor. Harry could see Quirrell's hands were red and blistered. "Then kill them and be done with it!"

Quirrell turned towards Yugi and Harry and raised his wand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, rushed past Yugi and grabbed Quirrell's face, knowing their only chance was if he could keep Quirrell in enough pain to stop him doing a curse, Quirrell backed away and Harry grabbed onto Quirrell's arm, as tightly as he could. Harry felt himself slipping into darkness as Quirrell's arm went limp in his hand and Quirrell's screams dying out.

Yugi caught Harry as he fell, pulling the boy away from the dying wizard, who fell to the ground. Yugi looked green as he managed to drag Harry over to where Yami was. Quirrell was most defiantly dead, he'd stopped breathing. He turned away from Quirrell, towards Kari, wondering how he was going to get everyone back up the corridor, as Yami opened his eyes. Yami groaned and sat up, watching in horror as a spirit rose from Quirrell and flew at Yugi, flying into the teen, who crumpled to the ground.

"Yugi!" Yami cried, rushing over, Kari and Harry were unconscious, he turned Yugi over and held the Puzzle in his hands and closed his eyes. And opened them again in a dark place he'd never been before. A hooded figure was gloating at an exhausted Yugi. "Give up Muto. You know I need another host. I can do this one of two ways, I can leave your spirit intact or I can take your body by force. You're already injured from fighting me off, and the Pharaoh won't be here to save you this time, he doesn't need you any more, you're just dead weight, I can see your memories, you've never been anything but a burden to him, just allow me to take over, do this the easy way."

"No…" Yugi groaned, "You'll hurt my friends." Yugi backed away, painfully.

"Then say goodbye!" Voldemort growled and cast a wandless spell at Yugi, who cringed away.

"Yugi!" Yami growled and put himself between Yugi and the spirit, the spell bouncing harmlessly off him.

"Y…Yami?" Yugi asked, Yami was glowing again.

"Leave him alone!" Yami growled to the spirit.

"Yami… that's Voldemort."

"You won't touch Yugi again!" Yami growled, sending a wave of shadow magic at the hooded figure, Voldemort.

The figure laughed and vanished.

"I can find other, stronger hosts, not one that relies on another for their protection. This won't be the last you see of me." His voice faded into the darkness, unknown to Yugi and Yami, in the outside world, the spirit of Voldemort had left Yugi's body and was headed back the way Yami and Harry had come.

The darkness faded away, leaving Yami and Yugi in Yugi's soul room. Yami turned around in time to catch Yugi who collapsed as the last of the darkness faded away.


	18. Home for the Summer

Something gold glinted just above Harry. The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy. He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange. He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.

"Good afternoon Harry." Said Dumbledore.

Harry stared at him and remembered, "Sir! The Stone, it was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick…"

"Calm yourself dear boy, you are a bit behind the times." Said Dumbledore, "Quirrell does not have the stone."

"Then who does? Sir, I…"

"Harry please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out." Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realised he must be in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets and next to him was a table piled high with sweets, enough to open a sweet shop, Harry would have wagered. In the next bed over Yugi was sleeping, his face ashen.

"Tokens from your friends and admirers." Said Dumbledore beaming, "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows about it. I believe your friend's Misters Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a lavatory seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic and confiscated it."

"How long have I been in here?"

"Three days. Your group of friends, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Ironhide x2, the other Mr Muto, Mr Wheeler and even Mr Kaiba, will be relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried, though Mr Kaiba has been hiding it well."

"What's wrong with Yugi?"

"His spirit was injured by Voldemort, after you passed out; Yugi came round yesterday while the Pharaoh was here and passed out about an hour after he left. The Pharaoh says Yugi will be fine, he just needs time to recover, he has the feeling Yugi is hiding something from him though."

"And the Stone?"

"I see you're not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. Yugi helped prevent that, I arrived as the Pharaoh's mind entered the Puzzle to help Yugi. Though you did most of the work on your own."

Harry looked over to Yugi's bed, "He'll be fine Harry. Though at the time I feared I was too late."

"You nearly were. Yugi was the only one conscious when I passed out, I wouldn't have been able to keep Quirrell from getting the Stone if it wasn't for him."

"Not the Stone, boy, you, the effort involved in stopping Quirrell nearly killed you. For a horrible moment I thought it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Harry said blankly, "But your friend, Nicolas Flamel…"

"Oh, you know about Nicholas?" Dumbledore sounded delighted, "You did do the thing properly, didn't you?..."

Yugi's eyes slowly opened, he could hear voices, Harry's and Professor Dumbledore's. He sat up as Harry spoke, earning himself a smile from the headmaster. "And Sir, there's one more thing."

"Just one more?"

"How did I get the Stone out of the Mirror?"

"Ah now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between us three, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone, find it, but not use it, would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves using it to make gold or drinking the Elixir of Life."

"But then why didn't…?"

"I find it?" Yugi finished, "I didn't want to find it, I wanted it to remain hidden, safe from Quirrell."

"Enough questions, I'd suggest you two team up to make a start on your sweets." Yugi noticed he had quite a large pile too, "Ah! Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavoured one, and since then I've rather lost my taste for them. I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?" He smiled and popped one in his mouth. Then he choked, "Alas! Earwax!"

Madam Pomfrey was a nice woman, but very strict. "Just five minutes!" Harry pleaded.

"Absolutly not."

"But you let Professor Dumbledore in."

"Well of course Mr Muto, that was the Headmaster, quite different. You both need rest." Yugi used his 'cutsie eyes of doom' on her, and Madam Pomfrey gave in.

"Dirty trick!" Harry hissed as Madam Pomfrey let the group in. Yugi just smiled sweetly at him.

"Harry!"

"Yugi!"

Harry was very glad that Hermione restrained herself from hugging him too hard, he watched the Japanese students equally enthusiastic treatment of Yugi though he couldn't help notice both hikaris were being quiet towards their yamis. "What really happened?" Ron asked, Harry and Kari fell to explaining while Yami prodded Yugi mentally.

" _Are you feeling better?"_

' _I'm fine Yami.'_

" _No, you're not, you're hiding something."_

' _I can't hide anything from you can I?'_

" _No."_ Yami sighed, _"What's wrong?"_

' _He was right.'_

" _Who?"_

' _Him, Voldemort. He was right.'_

" _What do you mean?"_

' _He was right, you don't need me anymore. I've only ever been a burden to you, why would you want to hang around me anymore? You could take the Puzzle and get on with this life.'_

" _Yugi…"_ Yami hugged his hikari tightly, _"He wasn't right; you've helped me as much as I've helped you. More so in fact, if it wasn't for you I would never have been awakened from the darkness of the shadows, I wouldn't have met you and your friends, I owe you more then I'll ever be able to repay."_

' _I think you paid me back down in the Mirror room. You saved me from Voldemort, he was trying to possess me, I fought him, but if you hadn't come when you did he would have destroyed me.'_ Yugi's mental voice was wavering, he was still tired and injured.

" _Rest Yugi. We'll talk this over once you have the strength to have a long conversation or we're on our own."_ Yugi nodded, smiling weakly, physically he was fully recovered, mentally he had a way to go.

"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron, they'd missed most of the conversation, "Flamel's just going to die?"

"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that… what was it?... 'to the well organised mind, death is but the next great adventure'."

"I always said he was off his rocker." Ron said, looking quite impressed at just how mad his hero was.

"So what happened to you lot?" asked Harry.

"Well I got back all right," said Hermione, "Once I got Kaiba and Ombre to the chess room I brought everyone around, that took a while, and Ron and I were dashing up to the owlery when we met him at the Entrance Hall. He already knew, he just said, "He's gone after him, hasn't he?" and hurtled off to the third floor."

"Do you think he knew we'd do it?" said Ron, "Sending Harry the invisibility cloak, your father's cloak, and everything?"

"Well," Hermione exploded, "if he did… I mean to say… that's terrible, you could have been killed!"

"No, it isn't." Said Yami thoughtfully, Hermione gave him a look that clearly said, you-are-mad, "Just hear me out, he had no way of predicting Yugi and Kari would be captured, but he is an odd man, I think he wanted to give Harry a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here and I have a feeling that he had a pretty good idea we were going to try and instead of stopping us, he taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let Harry find out about the mirror and how it worked. It's almost like he thought Harry had the right to face Voldemort if he could."

"Yeah, Dumbledore's barking, alright." Said Ron proudly. "Listen, you two have to be up be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are in and Slytherin won of course, Bakura's been lording it over us ever since the end of the Quidditch match. We were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you, but the food'll be good."

At that point Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "You've had nearly fifteen minutes, NOW OUT!" She said firmly.

* * *

After a good night's sleep the two boys felt closer to normal. "We'd like to go to the feast," Harry told Madam Pomfrey, as she straightened their sweet boxes, "We can, can't we?"

"Professor Dumbledore says you're both to be allowed to go." She said stiffly, as if she was of the opinion that Dumbledore didn't know how risky feasts could be. "Oh and you've got another visiter."

"Oh good," Yugi said, "Who is it?" Hagrid walked in through the door as Yugi spoke. As usual when indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down on a chair between the two beds, took one look at them and burst into tears. "It's… all… my… ruddy… fault…" he sobbed, face in his hands, "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All over a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I shoul' be chucked out and made to live as a muggle!"

"Hagrid!" said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow. This is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him!"

"Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid, "An' don' say the name."

"VOLDEMORT!" Yugi yelled, taking a leaf from Joey's book, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying.

"We've met him and we're calling him by his name." Harry continued, "Please cheer up Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, we have loads."

Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present Harry."

"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.

"Na, Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday to fix this. Course he should have fired me instead… anyway, got yeh this." It seemed to be a handsome, leather covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father."

"Sent owls off ter all yeh parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos… knew yer didn't have any… d'yeh like it?" Harry couldn't speak but Hagrid understood.

Yugi and Harry made their way down to the end of year feast together. Madam Pomfrey had held them up with her fussing, so the Great Hall was already full. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table. When they walked in there was a sudden hush and then everyone started talking loudly at once. Harry slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione, while Yugi joined Yami and Joey, opposite him, at the Gryffindor table. Theyu tried to ignore the fact people were looking at them.

Fortunatly, Dumbledore arrived moments alter. The babble died away.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerily, "And I must trouble you with an old man's weezing whaffle before we sink out teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are a little fuller than they were, you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts.

Now as I understand it, the House Cup needs awarding and the points stand thus; in fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty two; Ravenclaw have four hundred and twenty six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy two."

A storm of cheering rose from the Slytherin table. Yami refused to watch Bakura's antics as he tried to annoy the Pharaoh, Harry however could see Malfoy's smirk as he banged his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight."

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin." Said Dumbledore, "However, recent events must be taken into account," The room went still, Yami's head shot up and the Slytherin's smiles faded slightly, "And I have a few last minute points to hand out. Let's see…

Firstly, to Mr Joseph Wheeler, and Miss Ombre Ironhide, who, the moment they realised their friends were in danger, sprang to their aid, 20 points each." Joey smiled and Ombre grinned happily at her hikari.

"Secondly to Mr Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen these many years, I award 20 points." Ron went beetroot red. The Gryffindor cheers were getting louder.

"Thirdly to Miss Hermione Granger, for the cool use of logic when faced with fire, I award 20 points." Gryffindors were beginning to go wild, they were up eighty points.

"To Mr Yami Muto, who acted the moment he was aware of a secondary attack on one of the students, saving that student's life, twenty points."

"We're up one hundred points!" Harry whispered to Kari who nodded, Dumbledore wasn't done yet.

"To Miss Kari Ironhide, who put herself in harms way to protect her fellow Gryffindors, twenty points." Kari grinned; she hadn't thought about it, she'd just acted.

"To Mr Yugi Muto, who continued to fight to protect his friends, even at the risk of his own soul, twenty points." Twenty points under Slytherin, and Dumbledore was still going.

"To Mr Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding bravery, twenty points."

"We're tied with Slytherin!" Hermione hissed, Yami smirked and looked at Bakura who gave him a rude finger sign across the tables.

"To Mr Seto Kaiba, for attempting to help those who he'd normally turn away from, twenty points." Ravenclaw house cheered.

"And finally, it takes a great deal of courage to stand up to our enemies, but even more so to stand up to our friends, so I award ten points, to Mr Neville Longbottom!" Anyone outside would have thought that an explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise from Gryffindor table. The gang stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, who had never won a single house point and was white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. Yami couldn't have been happier as Yugi poked him and pointed out Bakura, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-bind curse put on him, while he was in the Shadow Realm. "Which means we need a change of decoration!" He clapped his hands and the green hangings became scarlet and the silver ones, gold. "Gryffindor win the house cup!"

It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning Quidditch, or knocking out mountain trolls… he would never, ever forget tonight.

Harry had forgotten about the exam results. To their surprise, everyone had done well. Hermione was top of the year, with, to Kari's annoyance, Kaiba second, though she'd come close third. Even Neville scraped through, his high Herbology grade making up for his abysmal Potions one. Though to their disappointment, neither, Crabbe or Goyle failed, it was a shame, but as Ron told them as they sat in the Common Room one night, you couldn't have everything.

It was too short a time before they were disembarking at King's Cross Station, Kaiba had offered to give the Japanese students a ride home, in exchange for their participation in his tournament later that summer. They were introduced to Ron's family and to Harry's uncle and aunt. Harry had hung back for a last word with the group.

"Uhh… have a nice summer." Hermione said uncertainly, shocked anyone could be that rude.

"Hey Harry, if they're too bad give us a buzz and we'll deal with them." Ombre and Yami agreed.

"Oh don't worry, I have a feeling this summer is going to be fine." Harry was grinning. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home, I'm going to have fun with Dudley over the summer…"


End file.
